The Alberta government is introducing significant changes to the province's electricity market to prioritize affordability, reliability, and sustainability. The updates, stemming from three years of consultation, include modernizing transmission policies and shifting costs of new infrastructure to power generators instead of ratepayers.“Albertans deserve a modern electricity system that prioritizes affordability and reliability,” said Nathan Neudorf, Minister of Affordability and Utilities.Additional reforms include implementing a day-ahead market to stabilize grid operations and restoring interprovincial electricity connections. "Alberta’s electricity system was designed for a small number of baseload power plants generating reliable electricity. In 2016, Alberta’s accelerated coal phase out was rushed through without proper due diligence. With a growing supply of intermittent renewables instead of natural gas, the province’s power grid and prices can become as volatile as the weather," said the province in a release."As demand for electricity only continues to increase, it’s expected that Alberta’s need for electricity could more than quadruple in the coming decades. It is critical that Alberta’s government make changes now to ensure the affordability, reliability, and sustainability of the provincial grid in the decades to come as demand surges.""To enhance grid reliability, Alberta’s government is also making changes to streamline the process to build and maintain connections between our electricity grid and other jurisdictions. This will reduce red tape and enable critical improvements to happen more quickly. This will also help improve reliability by restoring the electricity grid connections between Alberta and British Columbia, as well as expanding the connections between Alberta and Saskatchewan."Legislation to support these measures is expected in 2025.
