Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has sparred publicly with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, saying Ottawa's efforts to reduce national greenhouse gas emissions would cost jobs in her province and generate huge costs. Trudeau's government is expected to unveil regulations this summer to require utilities to cut air pollution enough to make Canada's grid emissions-free on a net basis by 2035, following similar efforts in the United States and United Kingdom.
Even so, Alberta is on track to converting its last coal-fired generation to gas this year and was home to three-quarters of the wind and solar generating capacity built in Canada last year. Pembina and University of Alberta modelled six scenarios, all of which see renewable energy becoming Alberta's largest source of electricity generation by 2035 and the provincial grid reaching net-zero at costs billions of dollars less than predicted by the Alberta Electric System Operator.
Alberta's move to a net-zero grid would make the province a net electricity exporter, rather than the net importer it is currently, and reduce household electricity costs to reflect lower operating costs of wind and solar generation, Pembina said.