Enmax diverts funds to meet Calgary's growth, slowing smart meter upgrades

Karina Zapata · CBC News

· Posted: May 24, 2025 7:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: May 24

As Enmax works to support up with Calgary's colonisation growth, it could mean immoderate Calgarians volition beryllium waiting longer to get their aged energy meters upgraded.

In the board's yearly wide gathering with metropolis councillors connected Friday, CEO Mark Poweska said Calgary's maturation has outpaced their projections.

And since the institution asks the Alberta Utilities Commission for a definite magnitude of maturation wealth for a five-year play — that backing is falling short.

"We admit that it's important that we enactment the maturation of the city. And truthful we're diverting superior to enactment that maturation today," Poweska told CBC News aft the meeting.

Much of that wealth was taken from Enmax's programme to regenerate aged energy meters with astute meters crossed Calgary to modernize the energy grid. The caller meters let power centres to spot what's happening connected the grid remotely.

"It's an important portion of our future," said Poweska. "We are progressing towards that, it's conscionable going to instrumentality a small spot longer arsenic we've had to divert immoderate superior to the growth."

According to the utility's website, astir fractional of the meters successful Calgary request to beryllium replaced. Over 21,000 meters were replaced past year, said Poweska, but it volition instrumentality longer to get the remainder of the enactment done.

Mayor Jyoti Gondek said accrued energy request volition proceed to beryllium a situation arsenic much radical determination here.

"With advances successful technology, AI, information centres, we are going to request a batch much energy than we have," said Gondek.

She said she's optimistic to perceive caller national Energy Minister Tim Hodgson marque a committedness to enactment with companies similar Enmax connected energy regulations and providing transmission crossed the country.

"If the national authorities is consenting to beryllium a spouse with america and truly put successful the exertion that we request for things similar c capture, arsenic good arsenic offering things similar astute metre technology, Enmax tin spell a agelong mode towards aboriginal proofing itself."

Evolving to a regulated utility

Reflecting connected 2024, Poweska said 1 of the highlights of past twelvemonth was Enmax's advancement connected its renewed strategical absorption — evolving to a regulated utility.

That means the institution volition beryllium investing little successful the competitory business, which includes vigor generation, and much connected aspects similar ligament infrastructure.

Ninety per cent of the utility's full superior expenditures past twelvemonth were devoted to the regulated business, according to its 2024 fiscal report.

The determination comes aft years of Alberta residents sounding the alarm astir volatile prices successful the energy market. It resulted successful metropolis assembly voting to alteration however its section entree interest is calculated, and a provincial measure forcing the municipal authorities to determination faster to marque that change.

"The competitory concern — it's a volatile business. You person up years and you person down years. Over the past mates of years, the commodity prices person been precocious and that portion of concern has been doing well," said Poweska.

But energy prices are dropping, and Poweska said focusing connected regulated concern means greater stableness successful the agelong run.

"For Calgarians, this means assurance successful the semipermanent sustainability of their inferior and a reliable root of gross for the city," helium said successful his speech.

As energy prices soften and Enmax moves to becoming a regulated utility, Poweska said helium isn't anticipating the City of Calgary — its sole shareholder — volition spot a repetition of its grounds $103 cardinal dividend from past year.

"I deliberation we've deed the peak, from a marketplace perspective," said Poweska.

Additionally, according to its 2024 environmental, societal and governance report, Enmax volition request to marque a "significant strategical investment" successful its power to a regulated utility, which could alteration the dividend successful the short-term.

City assembly decides however the yearly dividend to Calgary is spent. For example, councillors precocious approved the mayor's question to walk $20 cardinal from the dividend connected assemblage amenity upgrades.

Coun. Evan Spencer, who chairs council's audit committee, said Enmax is making bully changes.

"Calgarians should person a batch of assurance successful Enmax's governance and the strategical absorption that they acceptable for the future," said the councillor for Ward 13.