Alberta’s Minister of Environment and Parks and Minister Responsible for the Climate Change Office, Shannon Phillips, announced September 15 that Alberta will procure 5,000 MW of additional renewable energy capacity by 2030.
A firm target of 30 per cent of electricity used in Alberta will come from renewable sources such as wind, hydro and solar by 2030, she said. To reach the target, it is estimated that at least $10.5 billion in new investment will flow into the provincial economy by 2030.
“We are showing real leadership by implementing a clear and measurable target for renewable electricity, which is based on expert advice, protects the reliability of our system and is cost-effective for consumers and investors,” said Margaret McCuaig-Boyd, Minister of Energy. “At the end of the day, our approach will encourage a more diversified electricity system while creating new, green jobs for Albertans.”
Through the Renewable Electricity Program, the province will solicit enough investment in Alberta’s electricity system to meet the target, while ensuring projects come online in a way that does not impact grid reliability and is cost-effective. The program will be run by the Alberta Electric System Operator.
The Alberta government has posted a Request for Information (RFI) to provide advice on the potential cost and best approach for procuring solar power for half of government operations. The RFI will explore the opportunity to use solar energy to replace two existing green energy contracts that expire by the end of 2017 with solar power, and could lead to the first solar farm in Western Canada. The total consumption for the two contracts is 135,000 megawatt-hours a year.
The Request for Information was to be open for three weeks starting October 6.