President of Treasury Board and Minister of Finance Joe Ceci presents Budget 2017 in the legislative assembly. Premier Rachel Notley and Deputy Minister Sarah Hoffam look on. Photo: Government of Alberta
CALGARY — Binnu Jeyakumar, Program Director, Electricity, and Julia-Maria Becker, Senior Analyst at the Pembina Institute, made the following statements in response to the 2017 Alberta Government Budget:
“This budget demonstrates the government’s commitment to developing an economically and environmentally sustainable electricity sector in Alberta. It joins the growing number of states and countries around the world by offering programs to support renewable energy development. That will be a hedge that protects Albertans against electricity price increases based on fuel costs.
“Alberta’s Renewable Electricity Program in particular employs one of the smartest and lowest taxpayer cost options available to attract investment in renewable energy. The province’s support for small scale renewable energy projects will enable Albertans to participate in the electricity system with greater empowerment, providing them with greater choice and independence.” – Binnu Jeyakumar, Program Director, Electricity, Pembina Institute
“The Government’s commitment to expand Energy Efficiency Alberta’s first program due to overwhelming public demand is a welcome surprise, and a strong indication Alberta recognizes energy efficiency as the resource that it is. The $566 million promised to energy efficiency measures over the next three years will help Albertans save money on their electricity bills and the Province save on investments in transmission and distribution infrastructure and power generation that with energy efficiency, we won’t need.” – Julia-Maria Becker, Senior Analyst, Pembina Institute
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Contact
Suzy Thompson, Communications Lead, Alberta
587-585-4522
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