CALGARY — Benjamin Thibault, electricity program director at the Pembina Institute, made the following statement in response to Maxim Power’s decision to suspend the generation of electricity at Milner.
“The announcement the Milner coal power unit is suspending operations is a sign of coal power’s struggling economics. In line with international trends, it confirms old coal power plants are no longer economical in modern electricity grids with inexpensive gas and fuel-cost-free renewable power. The shut down is well ahead of the federal government’s 50-year end-of-life for coal units — Milner is 44 this year.
“With Alberta’s excess electricity supply, we are seeing the barren economics of coal plants in both the spate of coal power purchase arrangement terminations and the suspension of this unit. Their lack of sustainability becomes clear when private actors flee these ‘assets’ once they are made to pay for just a portion of the emissions they have grown accustomed to releasing freely into our atmosphere.
“This adds to mounting evidence Alberta is forging the sensible and inevitable path toward clean electricity. The near-term transition away from the oldest coal units is a key part of what will foster the adoption of a modern, cleaner electricity grid in line with global trends.”
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Contact
Kirk Heuser
Communications Lead, Pembina Institute
587-585-4522