If there was any doubt remaining that Alberta's nearly seven-month moratorium on renewable-energy projects was a political decision — made in the halls of power rather than in the offices of expertise — it was erased by internal documents released to the public last week.Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced new rules governing renewable energy projects on Feb. 28 as the seven-month moratorium on renewables was about to end.
"As you can imagine, Mike is not comfortable with this but he has agreed to provide the letter," AESO board chair Karl Johannson wrote in an email to fellow board members in July 2023.A copy of a July 2023 email from Karl Johannson, board chair of the Alberta Electric System Operator. The industry and its financiers aren't naive, says Thomas Timmins, a Toronto-based lawyer with the firm Gowling WLG who serves clients in renewable-energy project development.
"To me, it's just deliberate misrepresentation of the advice received — and I'll put it as bluntly as that," he said.Alberta electricity regulator opts for least stringent application of renewable energy pause