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By Justin Goulet

Groups speak out against renewable energy regulations in Alberta

Feb 28, 2024 | 2:07 PM

Provincial plans to regulate renewable energy projects have been announced.

Affordability and Utilities Minister Nathan Neudorf said they are taking an “agriculture focused” approach with new wind and solar projects. This means that projects cannot be built on Class 1 and 2 lands unless applicants prove the development can coexist with crops or livestock.

There will also be a 35 kilometre buffer zone around protected areas and pristine viewscapes. Additionally, developers will be responsible for reclamation costs.

READ MORE: Alberta announces ‘renewed path forward for renewable energy’

The Government of Alberta has paused approvals for new renewable energy projects over the last six months. That temporary ban comes to an end on Feb. 29, 2024.

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READ MORE: Alberta to pause new renewable energy permits while reviewing policies

The Alberta NDP has issued a response to the provincial announcement.

“The self-defeating moratorium on renewables caused major harm to Alberta’s economy. It added new red tape, investor uncertainty and impacted Alberta’s reputation as an investment destination, while undermining the strength of the renewables sector and the creation of thousands of new jobs, potentially forever,” said Nagwan Al-Guneid, the Opposition’s Energy and Climate Critic.

Al-Guneid stated that the governing UCP is adding more red tape and uncertainty in the province.

She remarked, “The government is now telling landowners what they can and cannot do with their property and limiting farmers from making extra revenue. Investments follow certainty and clarity, and this new red tape won’t help. These rules are anti-business.”

Al-Guneid added, “The government must be transparent and release the Alberta Utilities Commission inquiry’s reports. Alberta has the potential to be the home of a thriving and competitive renewables industry and this new red tape will result in further investment uncertainty and send a signal that Alberta isn’t open for business.”

She claimed that premier Danielle Smith is “limiting low-cost energy and isn’t helping Albertans access affordable electricity with her ideological attack against forms of energy that the whole world is moving towards.”

“Albertans deserve affordable electricity, transparency about their grid, and a government that supports a stable, sustainable investment market,” Al-Guneid added.

ALBERTA WILDERNESS ASSOCIATION

The Alberta Wilderness Association (AWA), a nonprofit based in Calgary, said the restrictions announced for renewables should be applied to the oil and gas sector.

The AWA said according to the United Nations, fossil fuels account for more than 75 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions and cause extensive air and water pollution. The nonprofit added that oil and gas developments “are over 15 times more lethal to wildlife than wind and solar power”.

“Alberta needs to transition to renewable energy, to meet Alberta’s Emissions Reduction and Energy Development Plan, and for environmental and human health,” the AWA said in a release.

“These new regulations could severely limit new renewable energy development. Until last August, renewable energy was booming in Alberta, with over three-quarters of Canada’s new renewable energy development occurring in the province. The moratorium on renewables, applied suddenly and without consultation, hindered this growth. These new regulations could further damage investor confidence, slowing Alberta’s transition to renewable energy.”

The AWA stated that there is a need for consistent regulations within the energy sector.

The nonprofit said, “Renewable energy should not be developed in sensitive ecosystems, or in areas with high biodiversity. However, these restrictions must be applied fairly across all sectors, including the oil and gas industry.”

CLEAN ENERGY CANADA

Evan Pivnick with Clean Energy Canada said the provincial announcement “has dropped an uncertainty bomb on renewable project investors and developers in Alberta.”

He noted, “Until last year, the province was the undisputed renewables capital of Canada, securing over $4.7 billion in new investment and bringing thousands of new jobs to the province since 2019. Now, Alberta is undermining its own success, making it one of the only jurisdictions in the world trying to frustrate the deployment of cheap, clean, renewable electricity.”

Pivnick said although the moratorium on new developments is coming to an end, “the new path forward leaves even more unanswered questions for the industry.”

“Indeed, there are major concerns that rules, like those concerning “viewscapes,” will be arbitrarily applied. Meanwhile, initial analysis suggests that a requirement for the proposed 35 kilometre buffer around protected areas may prohibit wind development in 76% of southern Alberta,” he said.

Pivnick issued concerns about the impact the new rules could have on Albertans’ electricity bills.

“Research has suggested that the decarbonization of Alberta’s electricity grid could save more than $600 per household in overall electricity costs, in no small part because of the cheaper costs to generate electricity from wind and solar. Albertans have paid the highest electricity costs of any province in the country over the past two years.”

He added, “At the end of the day, it is Albertans that stand to lose the most from the new rules, with a less competitive energy market, and the potential loss of jobs and investment in its once-booming renewables industry.”