Alberta government to proceed with power lines

• 12 years ago (2012-02-24)
• David Flin

North America 1021

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The government of Alberta, in Canada, has announced that it has accepted all of the recommendations of the Critical Transmission Review Committee, and will be proceeding with two new transmission lines between Edmonton and Calgary. The government said that the construction costs will be “shared equitably between today’s consumers and future generations.”

Energy Minister Ted Morton said: “Our decision to proceed with strengthening the backbone of the transmission grid will ensure that we can power our economy for the foreseeable future.” He said that provincial demand for power is forecast to nearly double over the next 20 years. “This is not about what is best for Alberta for the next four years, but rather what is best for the next four decades,” Morton said.

The two projects proposed by the Critical Transmission Review Committee are AltaLink’s Western Alberta Transmission Line and ATCO Electric’s Eastern Alberta Transmission Line. The cost impact of the two lines on consumers will be examined by the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC). Current estimates of the cost of developing the lines are $3 a month for residential consumers and $3.75 per MWh for industrial consumers. The government said that reinforcing Alberta’s transmission system will spark new investment in generation plants, which it believes will lead to increased competition and put downward pressure on the cost of electricity.