AESO Thanks Albertans for Quick Response to Call for Power Conservation
January 16, 2023
A statement from was issued from Minister of Affordability and Utilities Nathan Neudorf, in response to an electrical grid alert from the Alberta Electrical Systems Operator (AESO). The alert was declared at 3:30 PM and lifted later that evening at 8:40PM due to strong response from the public.
The AESO worked with the Government of Alberta to issue an Emergency Alert to Albertans, asking them to immediately reduce their electricity use to essential needs only. Almost immediately after the alert was issued, the AESO saw a significant 100 MW drop in electricity demand, which amounted to a 200 MW reduction within minutes. The Grid Alert was declared ended at 8:40 p.m.
The AESO noted via twitter that, along with the efforts of residents, “increasing wind and solar generation have created some relief on the system.”
“The province-wide response to the call for energy conservation was tremendous,” said Mike Law, President and CEO of the AESO. “On behalf of the AESO, I would like to extend my thanks to all Albertans who responded to the call for action, which ensured we didn’t have to progress to rotating outages, keeping our grid up and running for all Albertans.”
Law also gratefully acknowledges the efforts of the AESO’s hard-working System Operators, as well as generation, transmission and distribution facility technical operations teams across the province, saying that it was “truly a collaborative effort.”
“I’d also like to thank the Government of Alberta for their efforts in helping us get the call to action, including activating the provincial emergency alert system,” adds Law.
The AESO asked residents continue to conserve energy during peak periods as extreme cold continues this week.
As part of the alert residents were asked to conserve energy by:
- Turning off unnecessary lights and electrical appliances;
- Minimizing the use of space heaters;
- Delaying the use of major power-consuming appliances such as washers, dryers and dishwashers;
- Delay charging electric vehicles and/or plugging in block heaters;
- Cooking with your microwave, crockpot or toaster oven instead of an electric stove or oven;
- Limiting the use of kitchen or bathroom ventilation fans;
- Working on a laptop instead of a desktop computer (laptops are more energy-efficient than desktop units);
- Unpluging electric appliances when not in use, as they continue to drain energy even if they’re off (or use a power bar to cut power to multiple appliances with a single button);
- Closing curtains/shades/blinds to cover drafty windows.
