Alberta Halts Several Clean Energy Developments despite 2035 goal

Alberta is Canada’s largest oil and gas producing province so it came as a surprise when they announced they will be putting a six month freeze on new wind and solar projects. Of course, this announcement caught many environmental activists surprised as many provinces are doing their best to adapt clean energy. This temporary rule is a result of Alberta experiencing one of their worst fire seasons ever. Alberta will take this time to reassess policies surrounding these clean energy products and the resulting impact they will have on the grid. Alberta is hesitant towards change like these because of their surplus in oil and gas.

 The federal government has set ambitious goals for the country, this includes decarbonizing the electrical grid by 2035. Oil dominant provinces like Alberta are unsure why the federal government places these drastic actions as making such a major change in a short period of time will hurt their oil industries.  Jorden Dye from Business Renewables Centre Canada says the action unprecedented and damaging to the province of Alberta.

 Provincial officials express concerns over the swift pace of renewable energy development, despite successfully balancing similar tensions in other sectors. Nearly $2 billion worth of renewable projects are currently proposed in Alberta, with that temporary halt potentially pushing companies to seek opportunities in other jurisdictions. The Canadian Renewable Energy Association criticized the freeze, warning it could undermine investor confidence and weaken the province's renewable growth.

 While some projects under construction won't be affected, the scope of the moratorium remains unclear. Up to 100 projects, capable of powering 3 million homes and representing around $25 billion in investments, might be impacted, according to the Pembina Institute. This decision follows a series of controversial moves by Alberta, including plans for coal mining in the Rocky Mountains that sparked widespread opposition.

 It is important that we try to stick to Canada’s goals of achieving net zero emissions by 2050 and convert to clean energy. In Canada, we are lucky to have good wind speed in many different areas allowing for the usage of wind energy. The Anorra wind turbines is an excellent way people can harness the power of the wind and reap the benefits of clean energy. It allows you to be less dependant on the grid that may not be using clean energy. With the Anorra product family you can do your part of adapting clean energy.