August 27, 2020 – Karl Johannson has been appointed chair of the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) board of directors.

AESO is responsible for the day-to-day operation of Alberta’s electricity grid; it manages Alberta’s electricity grid and plans for future electricity needs to ensure Albertans have a reliable power supply.

Johannson was appointed to the AESO board in April 2020. A former executive vice-president and president of natural gas at TransCanada Pipelines, he has extensive commercial and operational experience in the upstream and midstream energy market, says AESO. He has a broad background working at the senior management level, and brings strong financial, operations and investment experience to the board.

Also, Derek Olmstead has been reappointed as market surveillance administrator for a period of five years to “ensure consistent leadership of the MSA’s market surveillance activities, and its effective enforcement of Alberta’s competitive electricity markets while the government fulfils its commitment to review the province’s electricity agencies”.

The MSA is an independent enforcement agency that exists under the Alberta Utilities Commission Act, responsible for “protecting and promoting the fair, efficient, and openly competitive operation of Alberta’s wholesale electricity market and retail markets for natural gas and electricity”.