A power line in Medicine Hat

By Charles Lefebvre

Electricity

Province to return to energy-only electricity market

Jul 25, 2019 | 2:22 PM

EDMONTON, AB — The provincial government says they plan to return to an energy-only market for electricity following a review.

Energy Minister Sonya Savage announced late Wednesday that the province would return to the energy-only market, and stop the transition to a capacity market.

“Albertans and investors need certainty in our province’s electricity market system, not an experiment,” said Savage in a statement. “The energy-only market works. Investors want to participate in it and it provides Albertans with reliable and affordable electricity.”

A review of the electricity market was announced in June, two months after the United Conservative Party won the provincial election. According to a news release, industry stakeholders, including producers and customers, were involved in the month long review.

Alberta was previously under an energy-only market since the 1990s, where electricity was produced as needed. Generators would be paid for electricity produced in the moment it’s sold.

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A capacity market sees generators paid to produce additional electricity.

The NDP government began implementing a capacity market in 2016, with the goal of transitioning to the new market by 2021.

Savage says the government will table legislation to end the capacity market “as soon as possible.”