Alberta Minister of Affordability and Utilities Releases Map Showing Viewscape Restriction Zones for Renewable Energy Projects

Alberta Minister of Affordability and Utilities Releases Map Showing Viewscape Restriction Zones for Renewable Energy Projects

March 26, 2024 In February 2024, the Minister of Affordability and Utilities announced several policy changes to the renewable energy project approval process, which are partially based on an inquiry conducted by the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) into the ongoing economic, orderly, and efficient development of electricity generation in Alberta. One of the policy changes included: The Minister has released…

Government of Canada Invests $16.7 Million to Support Ontario’s Power Grid Operator With Delivering Reliable, Affordable and Clean Energy

Government of Canada Invests $16.7 Million to Support Ontario’s Power Grid Operator With Delivering Reliable, Affordable and Clean Energy

March 26, 2024 As more people in Ontario ride electrified public transit, shift to electric vehicles and adopt electric heat pumps, and as Ontario businesses and industries continue to green their operations, an abundant supply of clean, reliable and affordable electricity is needed. In fact, Ontario’s electricity grid operator, the IESO, expects that Ontario’s electricity…

Government of Canada Announces Funding to Support Domestic Critical Minerals Value Chains and Create Good Jobs in the Northwest Territories

Government of Canada Announces Funding to Support Domestic Critical Minerals Value Chains and Create Good Jobs in the Northwest Territories

March 26, 2024 Canada is committed to supporting strong domestic value chains for critical minerals and the clean technologies and energy sources they enable. The Government of Canada is focused on increasing mineral and energy security, creating good jobs and supporting economic opportunities across critical mineral value chains, from upstream exploration and extraction to downstream processing, manufacturing and…

GrandBridge Energy Recognized With by EDA with Performance Excellence Award

GrandBridge Energy Recognized With by EDA with Performance Excellence Award

March 26, 2024 The Electricity Distributors Association (EDA) recognized GrandBridge Energy’s commitment to excellence with the 2023 Local Distribution Company (LDC) Performance Excellence Award at its annual awards ceremony on March 25. Sarah Hughes, President & CEO of GrandBridge Energy, proudly accepted the award on behalf of all employees. “It’s an honour to be recognized by the EDA for GrandBridge…

Elexicon Energy Recognized by EDA for Sustainability Excellence

Elexicon Energy Recognized by EDA for Sustainability Excellence

March 26, 2024 Elexicon Energy is the inaugural recipient of the Electricity Distributor Association’s (EDA) Sustainability Excellence Award for its commitment to operating in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. The award was presented last night at the EDA’s annual awards gala, celebrating Ontario’s top-performing local distribution companies. The award marks the second consecutive year…

PUC Wins Provincial Award for Innovation Excellence

PUC Wins Provincial Award for Innovation Excellence

March 26, 2024 PUC is proud to announce that it was selected as the winner of the prestigious Innovation Excellence Award at this year’s Electricity Distributors Association (EDA)’s Awards Ceremony in Toronto. The EDA Awards recognize outstanding achievements and innovations within the energy and utility sector, highlighting organizations that demonstrate exceptional performance, leadership, and commitment…

Spring Coulee Solar Project Begins Commercial Operations

Spring Coulee Solar Project Begins Commercial Operations

March 26, 2024 Evolugen, the Canadian renewable energy platform of Brookfield, announced in February that commercial operations have begun on Spring Coulee Solar Project (the Project), which is the first utility solar facility in Alberta to be operated and managed by Evolugen. The 42 MWdc solar farm, located northeast of Cardston, Alberta, is expected to generate close…

AUC Releases Inquiry Module A Report as Provincial Electricity System Policy Changes Unfold

AUC Releases Inquiry Module A Report as Provincial Electricity System Policy Changes Unfold

March 14, 2024 The AUC’s report on Module A of our renewables inquiry was released today the latest in a series of recent developments centred on government policy changes around Alberta’s electricity system. The report can be found here. The report, delivered to Minister of Affordability and Utilities Nathan Neudorf in January, provides summaries of submissions…

CanREA Welcomes End of Alberta Moratorium 

CanREA Welcomes End of Alberta Moratorium 

Recently, the Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CanREA) was pleased to see the end of Alberta’s moratorium on renewable energy project approvals on February 29, as announced on February 28th by by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Minister of Affordability and Utilities Nathan Neudorf. That said, CanREA remains concerned about the considerable level of post-moratorium uncertainty that remains for new projects in the province.

Modernizing Alberta’s Electricity Grid Amendment Effective as of March 6

Modernizing Alberta’s Electricity Grid Amendment Effective as of March 6

March 8, 2024 The Alberta government has proclaimed the Electricity Statutes (Modernizing Alberta’s Electricity Grid) Amendment Act, effective March 6. The act and its accompanying regulatory amendments will help Alberta’s electricity system adapt to new technologies and the changing ways that consumers interact with the grid. By modernizing Alberta’s electricity grid, with the input of Albertans…

Federal Investment for New EV Chargers Across Ontario

Federal Investment for New EV Chargers Across Ontario

Making the switch to an electric vehicle (EV) is a win-win for families looking to save money while reducing pollution — due to cheaper refuelling and lower maintenance costs — most EVs cost less than their internal combustion engine counterparts over their lifetime. The widespread shift to electric-powered transportation also poses a tremendous economic opportunity, creating manufacturing jobs across Canada.

Hydro One Crews Restore More Than 115,000 Customers as Damaging High Winds Battered Parts of the Province

Hydro One Crews Restore More Than 115,000 Customers as Damaging High Winds Battered Parts of the Province

On February 29 of 2024, Hydro One crews worked around the clock, restoring power to more than 115,000 customers affected by the damaging high winds that battered parts of central, southern and eastern Ontario the previous day. The outages were mostly caused by severe winds bringing down trees and branches onto distribution lines. At the time there were approximately 17,400 customers without power and customers in eastern Ontario were urged to remain prepared for additional outages as high winds were expected in the region.

Natural Resources Canada Provides up to $16.7 Million to Help the IESO Unlock the Potential of Energy Storage, Hybrid Facilities and Small-Scale Electricity Resources

Natural Resources Canada Provides up to $16.7 Million to Help the IESO Unlock the Potential of Energy Storage, Hybrid Facilities and Small-Scale Electricity Resources

With funding support from the federal government, Ontario’s grid operator is expanding its efforts to take advantage of the rapid growth of energy storage, hybrid generation/storage facilities and small-scale electricity resources to help meet Ontario’s future electricity needs.  Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) announced today that it is providing up to $16.7 million to the Independent Electricity System Operator’s (IESO) Enabling Resources Program. This funding will help the IESO expand its work to tap into new and emerging technologies to help meet Ontario’s energy needs reliably and cost effectively, while advancing grid decarbonization.

EVLO’s Approach to Safety Validated with EVLOFLEX UL 9540 Certification

EVLO’s Approach to Safety Validated with EVLOFLEX UL 9540 Certification

EVLO Energy Storage Inc. (EVLO), a fully integrated battery energy storage system provider and wholly owned subsidiary of Hydro-Québec, has recently announced that its latest generation battery energy storage system (BESS), the EVLOFLEX, has achieved UL 9540 certification. The certification, administered by a North American independent third party, is an important safety standard for grid-connected batteries such as EVLO’s utility-scale BESS solutions.

Federal-Provincial Agreement Allows Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to Switch From Heating Homes With Oil to Heat Pumps and Other Electric Home Heating Systems

Governments of Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador ink latest agreement to give eligible Newfoundlanders and Labradorians up to $22,000 to support the transition of homes from oil to electric home heating systems, which would cover the full cost of an average heat pump. Canadians know that climate change is costly—not just for the environment, but for their pocketbooks. They also know that we must prioritize affordability while fighting the worst possible impacts of climate change to ensure a strong economy and clean air for our communities.