Never let it be said that the Alberta’s United Conservative Party government isn’t in favour of recycling stuff – at least as long as that can be used to create higher costs and more red tape to help strangle the development of renewable energy.
Yesterday, the UCP opened a new front in its War on Renewable Energy by adding a $14-per-panel “recycling fee” to the cost of solar panels.
Naturally, the government framed the effort as an example of environmental responsibility, claiming piously in a news release that “Alberta’s government will not allow solar panels to pile up in landfills across the province.”
With the new fee set to come into effect quickly, on Oct. 1, the province will also ban solar panels from landfills and “ensure they are directed toward reuse and recycling when they reach the end of their useful lives.”
If we could trust the UCP on environmental initiatives, this might be a convincing pitch, but the record of Premier Danielle Smith and her government on this front is not reassuring.
The Business Renewables Centre-Canada condemned the “punitive tax” as “the latest in a string of arbitrary costs the province has placed on the renewable energy industry without the analysis to back it up.”
“While BRC supports the introduction of a recycling fee, we cannot support a punitive tax far exceeding any other jurisdiction,” said the organization’s director, Jorden Dye, in a news release yesterday.
“While governments worldwide are beginning to establish end-of-life recycling programs for clean energy infrastructure, Alberta’s proposed fee is 139 to 3500 per cent higher than any other jurisdiction in the world,” the release said. Well, of course it is! This is the UCP we’re talking about.
BRC-Canada – which was set up by the Calgary-based Pembina Institute to help businesses access renewable energy to reduce emissions, pretty much making it Public Enemy No. 1 in the eyes of the UCP – called the imposition of the fee part of a familiar pattern. It cited its June 2025 study that found costs higher than in any other jurisdiction we reviewed, “imposed without benchmarking to justify them.”
According to the government, “by 2045, more than 95 per cent of the solar panels currently installed in Alberta are expected to reach the end of their lives, generating as much as 72,700 tonnes of material.”
But according to BRC-Canada, since none of the panels sold now are likely to require recycling for 25 to 35 years, “no near-term waste stream justifies the urgency, and the Alberta Recycling Management Authority has not published a breakdown explaining how the $14 figure was calculated.”
Never mind, the UCP had a colourful canned quote for Environment Minister Grant Hunter: “We will not wait until mountains of dead solar panels are piling up in our landfills before acting. We are putting the system in place now to recover valuable materials, attract private investment and build a new recycling industry here in Alberta.”
An image of a stack of dented solar panels was included to lend verisimilitude to the claim.
“Responsible solar energy growth means considering environmental responsibility throughout its life cycle, said RJ Sigurdson, whose unintentionally ironic title is minister of affordability and utilities, in the same government news release. “We’re protecting taxpayers from future cleanup costs and keeping power affordable and sustainable for generations to come.”
In other words, I guess, the UCP is not only picking winners, it’s trying to ensure an industry that has the potential to cut into oil and gas profits is a loser.
Well, this is the Trump path, which Premier Smith makes an obvious effort to follow closely even as she spars with critics of the U.S. president’s anti-Canadian trade policies.
So yesterday’s announcement was obviously on brand considering the same government’s 2023 ban on renewable energy projects and subsequent imposition of expensive and complicated red tape on renewable energy projects that was estimated to have driven as much as $33 billion in renewable projects out of the province – although that figure is naturally disputed by the government.
Just in case you were thinking solar panels might be a good way to insulate yourself and your family from the additional $460 a year in electricity costs you can expect to result from the government’s sweetheart deal with Meta Platforms Inc., they’re going to cost you a little more now.
That Meta deal will let the California-based corporation hook into the provincial power grid for a couple of years to run its planned energy-sucking hyperscale AI data centre northeast of Edmonton before a natural-gas fired power-generation plant is brought on line, if it ever is.
That is widely forecast to drive up electricity costs for almost everyone in Alberta.
As has been observed in this space before, nobody loves red tape as much as Premier Smith and the UCP, especially if it can be weaponized against the government’s enemies, real and imagined, and made to help its friends.
Take this for exactly what it is – a blatant war on renewable energy in Alberta by the UCP. The UCP and Danielle Smith knows they can’t tax the sun, or the wind, so they will get proponents of renewable energy in another way, so they are dinged in the wallet. Besides this, the UCP chased away billions of dollars in renewable energy investments to Alberta. It’s also laughable to hear the UCP claim they care about the environment. Rural land owners in Alberta on farms have problems with orphan oil wells that the UCP still isn’t dealing with. Toxic tailings ponds were allowed to leak for many months, while the UCP was silent on the matter. It’s also full steam ahead with coal mines on the Eastern Slopes, and Corb Lund’s Water Not Coal Petition was very cunningly declared invalid by the UCP. Peter Lougheed’s 1976 Coal Policy was basically nullified by the UCP. The next agenda for the UCP is AI data centres which are harmful to the well being of the environment. These nasty solar panels are the real culprit to the UCP.
The UCP Haters are Hilarious, Alberta leads Canada in Renewables, most wind & soon the Most Solar, but the Province is at War with Renewables. Why is such Rhetoric allowed, Alberta will have more money spent on Renewables this year than any other Province and it’s being built with Private Funds, 25% of the Grid can. E supplied by renewables in prime conditions, thats reality!
Hello DJC and fellow ocmmenters,
It is unfortunate that Danielle Smith and the UCP as well as former governments did not require the Alberta Energy Regulator to be equally assiduous in requiring oil companies to properly “abandon” their wells. “Abandon” is the technical term to properly close off the well and rehabilitate the surrounding area.
I’m sorry, did you say Alberta Utilities and *Affordability* Minister RJ Sigurdson?
I’m not sure how discouraging renewable energy by adding extra fees will make life more affordable for Albertans. There’s an energy and affordability crisis that’s about to get a whole lot worse. Reference Irving Oil New Brunswick refinery maintenance shutdown from September 8 to November 25. See also diesel fuel shortage and high prices during peak demand season.
In any case, one might ask why Mr. Sigurdson is so concerned about nickel-and-diming energy-conscious citizens while we’re all on the hook for a $50.25M loan guarantee in his previous portfolio as agriculture minister.
Is this one of the reasons why Jason Nixon delayed the release of Alberta’s year-end report? It’s normally due on March 31. It’s five months late.
Anyways, if you are an Albertan with solar panels, Sigurdson and the UCP nanny state will jump all over you. If you are a farmer in the Picture Butte Feeder Cooperative, no nanny state for you. Carry on. Here, take Albertans’ money. It’s guaranteed.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/picture-butte-feeder-cooperative-falg-rj-sigurdson-alberta-1.7479866
“They include that the cooperative allegedly accepted ineligible feeder members, used guaranteed loan proceeds for improper purposes, provided more advances than allowed and obstructed provincial inspections, among other violations.”
OMG, the Renewable Energy in Alberta is being built with Private Funds & Not $100’s of Millions of Tax payer Dollars spent building Renewables elsewhere in Canada. You talk costs yet Canada has 10’s of thousands of TOXIC MINE SITES, the GIANT MINE IN NWT is costing Taxpayers over $4 BILLION in clean up & thats just one MINE!
Does the stupid never end with this woman?
Anybody who wants solar will just buy panels out-of-province then hire under the table to get them installed, if they can’t do it themselves.
‘Way to kick yourself in the tax base, Hotdog.
Yet somehow the province’s ardour in forcing oil companies to clean up after themselves lacks the same vigour. Wonder why.
As some might say Timing is Everything, well not long after the Federal Government continues it’s generosity of removing the federal excise tax on gasoline and diesel, Dingy is again at it with raising taxes. Those annoying ads claiming how the price of solar panels is dropping, making it way more affordable than before must really be getting under Dingy Smith’s skin. Again Dingy is trying to solve a problem that doesn’t exist. So we have another attack on renewables in favor of good old oil and gas. Amazingly most other countries are moving away from fossil fuels and going more renewable, EXCEPT Dingy Smith.
When asked about additional relief for Albertans similar to fuel tax reduction from the feds and just like when asked about the minimum wage (Alberta has the lowest in Canada), the response is we are looking into this and monitoring it. The hidden meaning of that is the classic we are not going to do anything.
Sigh.
Yet another example of Dani’s Law™:
“Never ascribe to malice nor stupidity what can be best attributed to both.”
Well done, PJP! DJC
Added to my collection. Thanks.
Meanwhile, nothing is being done about the more than 100,000 abandoned or inactive oil and gas wells polluting the countryside. Just sickening.
We charge five bucks to recycle a tire into low value rubber crumb, while putting a punitive fee on the rare earth metals which the Chinese have thoughtfully packaged into solar panels, batteries, and electronics; all of which can be recycled back to high value materials. Anybody remember the bauxite mining boom that collapsed when aluminum recycling took off?
You can count on the UCP to be authoritarians if it protects their friends in extractive and destructive businesses. Private health care anyone?
Thanks David. Proof once again that Smith and the UPC are anti mother nature. If it’s not hydro-carbon based we don’t want it. Maybe the Alberta logo on our border signs, should be, “Burn Baby Burn.” The Oil Patch had it all figured out in the 50’s, green house gases and global warming and they had 20-25 years to create a marketing program to counter the environmentalists, who didn’t really start talking about global warming till the 70’s. Mr. Harper came from Imperial/Esso and he gutted environmental monitoring in Canada, for his buddies in the patch. Smith is gutting everything she can, for the patch. Just look at our lakes, ponds and water tables. Look at the fires, not only in our forests, but our towns and cities as well. Then look at all the rain and the flooding. Then look at your house insurance bills and then tell yourself, that there’s no such thing as global warming, or it’s just a cycle we’re going through. Smith and the UPC don’t care. They only care about what goes under the table. A number of years ago I read a blook called “The Weather Makers” by Tim Flannery. It explains global warming and it is un-nerving to see years later, how accurate he was.
All this, while they’re now offering Alberta car owners “conservation plates” as an alternative to the plain red-on-white license plates, for $90 ($15 of which is the “registry agent fee”). Some of the proceeds will be donated to the Alberta Conservation Association.
The image on the plate happens to be by a local Peace Country artist … see story.
https://everythinggp.com/2026/09/04/an-incredible-honour-says-grande-prairie-artist-about-being-featured-on-new-conservation-license-plate/
I saw that. What a bunch of hypocrites.
I guess Danielle Smith and her corrupt UCP government have forgotten about the thousands of abandoned oil wells and millions of litres of effluent in their tailing ponds that they are damaging the environment with
This is nothing more then Smith trying to protect her oil and gas industry friends and creating more red tape
Ok, fine, but first show me the recycling centre that will actually recycle solar panels. I’ll bet there isn’t one in Alberta.
Dale: Of course there isn’t and if there ever is it’ll be the equivalent of a tire dump, although perhaps slightly less of a fire hazard. DJC
Perfect opportunity for a connected entrepreneur.
Keen observations, and deeply concerning. I am totally perplexed by the ongoing shenanigans of Smith and her simpletons. She and Trump seem to legislate totally contrary to the mode all over the world. Renewable energy is clearly a viable and responsible option except in Smithville and Trumpland.
I wonder what Smith is planning on doing when the Asian market starts to falter?
This does not bode well for the proposed new pipeline to the coast.
“Hou said that China’s domestic crude-oil consumption probably reached its peak in 2025.” China’s Oil Consumption Likely Peaked Last Year, Sinopec Says.
It looks like the UCP is doing the equivalent of outlawing gas pumps in order to keep the buggy whip company in business.
Spite. Spite and malice. And don’t forget invincible ignorance. So spite, malice, and invincible ignorance, and an absolute devotion to Trump.
The Alberta electorate have voted for this in overwhelming majority for 50 years. What’s going to happen to them when oil prices collapse couldn’t happen to a more deserving bunch of assholes,
Yes, I know, not all Albertans. But as with the bulk of humanity and climate change, if you/we can’t stop them/it what the fuck good are you/we?
I’m sorry if I’m being a little over the top here. The seditious cow’s brazen, smirking effrontery just has that effect on me.
Danielle Smith and her UCP must be demolished in the next election. Renewable energy is a must have and she is blocking all attempts to bring it to fruition.
The only difference between Marlainia and the rest of the reptiles is the merchandise peddled by the rentiers who program her. There’s no getting around the power that has been handed to the oil and gas rent-seekers over the last eighty years in this province, and their interests are not the same as those of the capitalists in the other provinces. All capitalists in Canada are completely enmeshed with our great friend and ally, the Epstein Empire. 90% of Alberta hydrocarbons go to fuel the killing machine of Mountain Dew Nation. The conundrum is that the overarching strategic goal of starving China of hydrocarbons while the CIA, Rand and JP Morgan come up with a plan to stop the Chinese transition to an electric economy in a post-work world is at odds with the Derpberta oil and gas gangsters’ desire to sell as much tar as fast as possible to the Chinese. Half the potash from Saskatchewan goes to the US, and the exporting companies are completely integrated into the US corporate structure. Can anyone seriously accept the notion that a Ford brother, or Scott Moe is fundamentally more ethical than Marlainia? We are living through the transition of a 500-year-old global economy from the imperialist structure rooted in slavery, wage servitude and the conquest of lands inhabited by non-Europeans, that produced industrial capitalism, into some new form of exploitation by the 0.001% in which the internal contradictions of capitalism are arguably much more destructive because a workforce, whose ideal wage always approached zero, is not necessary, but a consumer base continues to be.
A 2023 study from Nature Physics compared predicted solar panel waste generated by 2030 with other waste sources:
– 300-800 times more coal ash
– 3-5 times more of oil sludge
– 440 – 1300 times more municipal waste
(https://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-023-02230-0)
Not that there is anything wrong with ensuring that we continue to improve recycling of panels. I would love complete life cycle recycling to ensure more or less free energy forever, but this e-waste concern is very clearly a red herring. In our capitalist system, free energy that doesn’t consume natural resources won’t grow shareholder value, and that is the real concern.
The sad thing for Oil-berta is this horse has bolted and the rest of the world is marching ahead with clean, cheap and abundant solar. The UK has joined Australia in giving away power in the middle of the day for free because there is just too much of the stuff coming from the sun. Imagine the competitive advantage that gives them. Meta are not known for their smart business decisions (remember when they were Facebook? Whatever happened to the Metaverse?) but putting your data centre in the most expensive electricity jurisdiction in Canada, doubling down on the dirtiest, most expensive ways to generate electricity, doesn’t sound too bright.
You know who uses aalot of renewable? TEXAS! With wind, solar, and geothermal accounted for roughly 35% to 37% of Texas’s electricity generation. it’s not so much they are for being green but it helps aalot with grid stabilization since they had that really bad power outage a few years ago.
They should use the solar panels for the data centres. Heard there was a lot of rare earths that go into those data centres… valuable stuff…
Interesting to read this article and the next page I went to talks about how a tailing ponds dump doesn’t even need a review. https://www.nationalobserver.com/2026/09/04/news/alberta-oilsands-tailings-suncor-regulator
“Alberta’s government will not allow solar panels to pile up in landfills across the province.”
No problem. Throw them into all the abandoned oil wells and tailing ponds.
It is to be noted that no province, as yet, allows plugin balcony solar panels.
This probably isn’t the stupidest idea that Smith and the UCP has come up with, but it is up there. It is a party seemingly full of petty, mean spirited and small minded ideas as well as chock full of ways to add more red tape and complications to our lives.
Seen the lines at the Registry Office lately to get our all in one drivers licence, ID/health and citizenship cards? Or how about that excruciating multi step process to get our gas tax rebates, which initially didn’t work and a lot of Albertans just gave up on? At least Ralph, despite other shortcomings, could at least figure out how to make the process simple for us and just mailed everyone a cheque.
A huge recycle fee for something that will probably not be disposed of for decades is both very stupid and punitive. I’m sure the punitive part is intentional. I suspect in the minds of Smith and her crew anyone who would put up solar panels is not a true Albertan and so deserves to hit with a huge fee as punishment for defying the conventional energy industry gods.
I am waiting for the return of the backyard oil drum trash furnace.
Save our landfills. Burn your trash, just like grand grandpa did.
It’s only a matter of time.
JM: I remember those, and very pleasant it was, too, on a cool fall day, to stand outside around the oil drum burning autumn leaves. Innocent times. DJC
This is of course blatantly corrupt. They are clearly working for the natural gas companies. But if my math is right it’s about three weeks’ worth of revenue. This shouldn’t discourage anyone from putting up solar panels.
I do think the UCP’s war on renewables should become an election issue. I hope the NDP will challenge them on it.
Got my panels in 2023, so not worried about recycling fee for a long time.
What I want to see is a return of the Greener Homes Grant. Let’s see Mr. Carney follow through on “making Canda an energy super power”.
If our power market is built on privatized corporate investment, why are renewables facing a blanket 30% upfront reclamation security mandate (without considering salvage value) when other jurisdictions use gradual models or case-by-case risks? How does the government justify tying up capital decades before a project ends, and what steps are being taken to ensure this doesn’t drive clean energy investment out of Alberta? After the 2023/2024 approval moratorium, followed by high reclamation bonds and non-benchmarked $14/panel recycling fees, what specific metrics is the government using to ensure these policy changes do not permanently spook private capital and push corporate buyers to other North American markets?
https://businessrenewables.ca/resource/reclamation-security-comparative-analysis-how-alberta-compares
https://www.alberta.ca/land-conservation-and-reclamation-guidelines-for-renewable-energy-operations
https://energyrates.ca/albertas-pause-on-new-renewable-electricity-projects
The government recently introduced a $14 per-panel recycling fee, but industry analysis shows this is between 139% and 3,500% higher than solar recycling fees anywhere else in the world. Since panel waste streams won’t peak until the 2040s, could you explain how this $14 figure was calculated, and why Alberta is imposing an upfront fee that far exceeds comparative jurisdictions?
https://businessrenewables.ca/news/alberta-imposes-solar-recycling-fees-139-higher-any-other-jurisdiction
https://www.alberta.ca/release.cfm?xID=97720110E7A66-C3D0-01EF-FF52758DF2B17D1C
The province states that these rules level the playing field and protect taxpayers from orphan liabilities. However, legacy oil and gas operators were permitted to build out infrastructure for decades without this level of upfront capital bonding. Why now is the government applying an unprecedented upfront cost structure to renewables while legacy fossil fuel liabilities remain managed through different frameworks?
https://www.auc.ab.ca/featured/auc-inquiry-into-the-ongoing-economic-orderly-and-efficient-development-of-electricity-generation-in-alberta
https://www.aer.ca/regulating-development/project-closure/liability-management-framework
Utility-scale wind and solar have historically lowered wholesale power prices and brought billions in private capital and municipal tax revenue to rural Alberta. By adding millions in upfront regulatory fees and recycling levies to new projects, aren’t we forcing developers to raise Corporate Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) prices, making Alberta less competitive for corporate investment and ultimately raising costs for consumers?
https://businessrenewables.ca/deal-tracker
https://www.aeso.ca/market/market-restructuring
Under the new Land Use and Visual Assessment Regulation, wind energy projects face a mandatory 35-kilometre buffer zone around designated ‘pristine viewscapes’ and provincial parks, alongside strict bans on Class 1 and Class 2 agricultural lands. Given that oil wells, gas pipelines, and mining operations are not subject to these same 35-km buffer zones or visual impact restrictions on agricultural land, how does the government justify applying visual and spatial restrictions exclusively to clean energy infrastructure?
https://www.blg.com/en/insights/2024/03/new-alberta-renewable-energy-policy-prioritizes-agriculture-viewscapes-reclamation
https://www.mccarthy.ca/en/insights/blogs/canadian-energy-perspectives/policy-and-regulatory-changes-alberta-auc-approvals-power-plants
The province is introducing changes to the Transmission Regulation to shift transmission connection and congestion costs directly onto renewable energy generators rather than spreading grid infrastructure costs across the broader market. Won’t forcing clean energy developers to bear 100% of these grid costs raise their levelized cost of energy (LCOE), ultimately pushing up electricity rates for household consumers and local businesses?
https://www.torys.com/our-latest-thinking/publications/2024/02/alberta-introduces-new-restrictions-on-renewable-power-development-as-moratorium-ends
https://www.aeso.ca/market/market-restructuring
Renewable projects brought over $70 million in property tax revenue to rural Alberta municipalities in 2025 alone. With new restrictions (such as standardized residential setbacks, high reclamation bonding, and recycling fees) slowing down new construction, how does the province plan to compensate rural counties that rely on wind and solar tax bases to fund local roads, emergency services, and community infrastructure?
https://businessrenewables.ca/news/alberta-imposes-solar-recycling-fees-139-higher-any-other-jurisdiction
https://www.windconcerns.com/alberta-to-standardize-setbacks-of-renewables
During deep freeze events like the January 2024 grid emergency, provincial alerts specifically instructed Albertans to turn off non-essential appliances and stop charging electric vehicles to avoid rotating blackouts. As heating and transportation transition toward full electrification, how is the government ensuring the power grid can reliably handle concurrent extreme-cold heating loads and EV demand without risking extended winter blackouts? What policy incentives or regulatory programs is the province introducing to support residential backup solutions (such as home batteries, bidirectional EV charging (V2H), or standby generators – so vulnerable households aren’t left stranded during severe environmental events? Given that natural gas backstopped the grid during recent supply shortfalls, how does the government plan to maintain dispatchable baseload generation while simultaneously navigating federal decarbonization targets and higher regional electrification demand?
https://globalnews.ca/news/10225294/alberta-emergency-power-alert-lessons
https://electric.atco.com/en-ca/power-outages/understanding-grid-alerts.html
https://thenarwhal.ca/alberta-grid-alerts-explainer/
https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/128dd404-50c6-4562-ba1e-34a14ff01866/resource/9f62704b-0e19-47a9-a945-3f207709520e/download/pses-power-outages-fact-sheet.pdf
https://www.abenergycentre.ca/natural-gas/albertas-emergency-grid-alert-underscores-vital-role-diverse-energy-mix-plays-in-canada/
https://www.aeso.ca/market/market-restructuring/
With North American trade tensions escalating and US tariffs targeting clean energy equipment and auto components, Canadian consumers face rising costs for both rooftop solar hardware and electric vehicles. How does the provincial government plan to mitigate these compound cost pressures so Albertans who want to pair rooftop solar with zero-emission transportation aren’t priced out of the transition by international trade friction?
https://www.alvarezandmarsal.com/thought-leadership/a-look-into-united-states-mexico-canada-agreement-renewal-negotiations
https://www.blg.com/en/insights/2024/03/new-alberta-renewable-energy-policy-prioritizes-agriculture-viewscapes-reclamation
Public DC fast-charging stations impose sudden, severe demand charges on local utility feeders during peak operation. Off-grid or grid-tied solar microgrids paired with stationary battery storage (BESS) can buffer these spikes and lower operational costs. Is the province offering regulatory pathways or infrastructure grants to encourage solar-integrated EV fast-charging stations along highways, or are operators left to bear 100% of grid connection upgrade costs under new transmission rules?”
https://natural-resources.canada.ca/energy-efficiency/transportation-energy-efficiency/zero-emission-vehicle-infrastructure-program
https://www.torys.com/our-latest-thinking/publications/2024/02/alberta-introduces-new-restrictions-on-renewable-power-development-as-moratorium-ends
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), scaling up utility-scale solar and wind represents the fastest, lowest-cost pathway to reduce global emissions and stay below critical temperature thresholds. With solar levelized costs falling significantly alongside declining battery storage expenses, how does the provincial government justify adding regulatory drag (such as 30% pre-funded reclamation security and non-benchmarked $14/panel EPR levies) to the cheapest energy sources available during a known climate crisis?
https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/
https://businessrenewables.ca/resource/reclamation-security-comparative-analysis-how-alberta-compares
Addressing escalating global climate emergencies requires rapid deployment timelines for clean power. While Alberta previously led the country in corporate renewable adoption, policy shifts like the 2023/2024 moratorium, buffer zones, and high compliance bonding have stalled new project approvals. What steps is the province taking to expedite renewable permitting so private developers aren’t forced to reallocate capital to jurisdictions with streamlined low-carbon policies?
https://www.theenergymix.com/shift-from-fossils-to-renewables-is-quickest-cheapest-path-to-cut-emissions-ipcc-report-shows/
https://economics.td.com/esg-data-centers-and-renewables-alberta
The Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) recently rejected the 1.4-gigawatt natural gas power plant proposed to power a massive data centre campus in Olds, Alberta, citing proximity to residential neighborhoods and environmental disruption. With over 30 other data centre connection requests representing more than 16,000 MW in the AESO queue, how does the province plan to establish standardized environmental setback and emissions rules for thermal data centre plants so rural communities aren’t forced to fight heavy-industrial gas projects in their backyards? How will the government *guarantee* that if these massive industrial power consumers draw energy from the main grid during unexpected gas plant outages or extreme weather, ordinary household electricity bills won’t skyrocket to subsidize data centre demand spikes?
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-utilities-commission-rejects-power-plant-for-olds-data-centre-plan-9.7310209
https://environmentaldefence.ca/2026/08/19/edc-calls-for-new-ai-data-centres-to-be-powered-by-renewables/
https://www.bennettjones.com/Insights/Blogs/2025/06/Large-Load-Integration-on-Alberta-Electricity-Grid
https://www.pembina.org/pub/whats-best-way-power-albertas-growing-data-centre-sector