EDMONTON — TIM WEIS, Senior Director of Industrial Decarbonization at the Pembina Institute, made the following statement in response to the Government of Alberta releasing the results of its public engagement on nuclear power in the province:
“Like so many places in Canada and around the world, Alberta has a challenge to overcome with regards to its energy supply. In the next decade alone, the Alberta Electric System Operator forecasts the province’s electricity demand will grow rapidly, and by the early 2040s will be around 40% higher than it is today. This surging demand is going to be driven both by domestic uses, like electrified transport and home heating, as well as new industries, like data centres. All of this means the province must get serious about making and implementing plans that will meet Albertans’ growing energy needs with affordable, reliable electricity.
“Nuclear may have a place in Alberta’s energy future, but the number of questions raised in panel’s report underscores that, no matter what, it is still decades away. In the meantime, the province also needs to figure out how to use the electricity resources it already has – as well as those that can be scaled up quickly – to keep the grid well-supplied in the nearer term. Our forthcoming analysis shows that, right now, large amounts of low-cost wind and solar power is being wasted because of a failure to upgrade sufficient transmission lines in Southern Alberta. Even on very windy or sunny days, Albertans are missing out on affordable energy because the electricity can’t get to where it needs to be used. This is also putting off new renewables projects from moving forward – because they can’t be sure they’ll be able to get their product to their customers.
“As Alberta balances concerns of both reliability and affordability, it should consider that nuclear energy remains some of the most expensive electricity, with costs that have been increasing in North America over the past decade – often 2-3 times the price of wind, solar and batteries – the prices of which continue to fall year over year. When paired with battery storage and connections to neighbouring provinces, renewables can play an increasingly large role in keeping the lights on, while keeping costs as low as possible for ratepayers.
“Our message to the Government of Alberta and the AESO remains the same: there is no realistic pathway to meeting the province’s electricity needs over the next few years that doesn’t involve wind and solar – projects that can go from being approved for construction to supplying electricity to the grid in a couple of years, not decades – again having a clear place in the province’s electricity planning.”
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Contact
Alex Burton
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825-994-2558
Background
Media release: Alberta’s electricity emissions plan overly reliant on “risky bets”; new data shows wind and solar still being held back
Blog: Canadian solar and wind project costs plummet
