Province must take action on electricity reliability and affordability

On January 13th the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) was forced to declare a Grid Alert, forecasting a 100 to 200 MW shortfall during peak evening hours, with the potential for rotating blackouts.

Such alerts were issued three more times in ensuing days. Albertans rose to the challenge of temporarily cutting usage to stave off blackouts, but this crisis should never have occurred in the first place.

At the same time, Albertans’ electric bills are soaring. The price the electricity has grown increasingly volatile in recent years, while service charges and taxes continue to increase. These rates, fees and taxes are impacting every family and business in our province.

The Government of Alberta has a responsibility ensure electricity service remains reliable, affordable, and safe. Brownouts and/or rotating blackouts are unacceptable, as are further increases in Albertans’ electric bills. 

A new approach is needed. Premier Danielle Smith and Minister of Affordability and Utilities Nathan Neudorf must immediately and publicly present a plan to restore affordability and confidence in our electric system.

Fast tracking new natural gas generation is important to addressing reliability concerns in the short term. However, Albertans have learned through experience that the price of natural gas can be volatile. With our grid already relying on natural gas for so much base load, diversification is necessary.

Our vast supply of coal, which we continue to export for electrical generation around the world, has given Alberta a competitive advantage for a century or more. A return to clean coal generation offers both the potential for lower prices and increased reliability.

In addition, small modular nuclear generation offers the potential for increased reliability. Should such systems proceed, it is important that local communities have the final say on location. Government needs to learn from its mistakes when it opened supervised drug consumption sites in communities that oppose them.

Some renewable generation options, like hydroelectricity, have proven reliable. Some, like wind and solar, have not. To restore confidence in our grid, it’s time to end subsidies, credits, and tax deferments for unreliable projects.

At the same time, we need to better protect consumers from rising prices. In recent years, many advances have been made in renewable technology. It’s time to remove the subsidy safety net and let these projects compete for their place in the free market. Those that can adapt and earn a profit without taxpayer subsidies will make Alberta’s grid stronger. Those that cannot compete need to make way for those that can.

In addition, our province has an interest in protecting agricultural production, which is being lost to sprawling solar farms. Of Alberta’s 160 million acres of land, only 23 million acres (16 per cent) is available to grow crops. We are on pace to lose more than 350,000 acres of prime agricultural land in coming decades, and this will only increase as population growth is exceeding estimates. It’s well past time to ban wind and solar farms on prime agricultural land.

In the wake of the AESO’s Grid Alerts, many politicians have been scrambling to assign blame. Blame won’t keep the lights on, and blame won’t bring down electric bills. For that, we need the Government to come to the realization that the status quo isn’t working and changes are needed.

In short, we need real action.

And if the politicians insist on pursuing business as usual, we’re going to need some new politicians. #ableg #medhat

- Drew Barnes is the former MLA for Cypress Medicine Hat