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Alberta moving forward with Renewable Electricity Program

September 14, 2016 | By Renée Francoeur


September 14, 2016 – The government of Alberta says it will support 5000MW of additional renewable energy capacity through its new Renewable Electricity Program to help with its plans to see 30% of electricity come from renewables by 2030.

To reach this target, it is estimated that at least $10.5 billion in new investment will flow into the provincial economy by 2030, according to the province. This will mean about 7200 new jobs for Albertans as projects are built.

Alberta says the Renewable Electricity Program, to be run by the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO), will solicit enough investment in Alberta’s electricity system to meet the target, while ensuring projects are cost-effective and come online in a way that does not impact grid reliability.

To be eligible for support within the program, projects must:

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•    be based in Alberta,
•    be new or expanded,
•    be 5MW or greater in size, and
•    meet the Natural Resources Canada definition of renewable sources.

Further details on how the program will operate will be released later this year.

It will be based on recommendations provided  by the AESO, which completed stakeholder consultations earlier in 2016.

The province says work is also underway to improve Alberta’s rules around smaller-scale electricity generation, including micro-generation.

Alberta’s Energy Efficiency Advisory Panel, led by David Wheeler, is also consulting with Albertans as part of the panel’s work to develop recommendations on energy efficiency and small-scale electricity generation programs. These programs will be offered through the newly created Energy Efficiency Alberta organization and will be in place early in 2017.


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