The Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) wishes to address inaccurate information that appeared in a letter that ran in your February 22nd publication.
The AESO is not in the business of accepting challenges. Rather, we are the provincial system planner and are obligated to address any misinformation about Alberta’s electricity industry in an effort to educate Albertans and ensure they receive accurate and unbiased information.
The writer’s statement that Alberta generates a surplus of energy each year is inaccurate. In reality, Alberta has been a net importer of electricity since 2002, importing twice as much power as it has exported. During peak hours of the day, Alberta often cannot meet its own demand and relies on imports. To put this into perspective, in 2010 Alberta produced 70 terrawatt-hours (TWh) of power and total demand for power was 71.7 TWh. Therefore, we actually imported 1.7 TWh in 2010 to meet provincial demand. (Note that a terawatt-hour is equivalent to one billion kilowatt hours.)
The AESO is committed to building a transmission system that meets our regulatory mandate which requires us to operate a transmission system that is congestion free. Contrary to what the writer believes, an absence of blackouts or brownouts does not indicate that the system doesn’t require upgrading. If the AESO was to operate the provincial transmission system in such a fashion, it would be like operating a car on the red line.
The fact of the matter is that transmission development has not kept pace with generation development in the last decade and, as a result, generation is curtailed in many parts of the province. Wind resources in southern Alberta are a current example of where investment has been stalled as a result of a lack of transmission infrastructure.
Our organization is mandated to ensure a reliable system for all Albertans. An unconstrained transmission system provides certainty to those who invest in new generation projects that they will have the ability to move their electricity to Alberta households and businesses. It also gives those in other industries the confidence to do business in our province, secure in the knowledge that power will be there when they need it.
Significant upgrades to the transmission system are required to meet the province’s future energy requirements and continue to ensure a reliable system. The AESO encourages you to visit our public engagement website, www.poweringalberta.com for more information about the need for transmission upgrades in our province.
Shan Bhattacharya
Vice-President, Transmission
Alberta Electric System Operator