Alberta faces labour crunch in power generation

Provincial study to identify skills gaps in move from coal

Amid fears of a looming labour shortage in Alberta’s electricity market, the province has commissioned a yearlong study to identify workforce gaps before the grid is upended with greener sources of power.

Electricity Human Resources Canada, a non-profit, will lead the study to outline Alberta’s long-term needs for labour and skills training in a power market fuelled by natural gas and renewable sources.

“We know that there is going to be skilled labour challenges, and we need to prepare for those,” said Michelle Branigan, chief executive of the HR group.

He also said the study will attempt to identify the size of the feared gaps.

The review, expected to cost the province $161,500, follows the Alberta government’s decision to phase out coal-fired electricity, and have renewable sources provide 30 per cent of all generation, by 2030.

ATCO Ltd. and TransAlta Corp., two of Alberta’s largest coal-fired power producers, have both said they are looking at converting generating stations from coal to natural gas by 2020 or 2022, far ahead of schedule.

TransAlta is also assessing a new hydro power project next to its existing dam in the Drayton Valley area of central Alberta.

To facilitate this transition, the NDP government has ordered an overhaul of Alberta’s power market to provide financial incentives for generators to switch to greener sources during a period of historically low power prices.

It’s also offering subsidies to developers of renewable power and holding what is expected to be the first in a series of competitive auctions for generators to submit bids to supply the electricity.

This shift will trigger changes in the electricity market’s workforce needs, according to the group leading the labour study, which will consider hiring projections and labour supply.

The sector faces some of the traditional hiring challenges, such as retirements and competition with other industries.

However, it’s also dealing with new pressures of hiring and training staff for large-scale projects in Alberta.

Electricity Human Resources Canada expects oil and gas workers will make the transition to the electricity sector.

But as power companies fill out their ranks, they need considerable time to train workers for specialized roles.

Some positions, such as power line technicians and engineers, require seven or more years of on-the-job training, which underscores the need for long-term planning, according to the HR group.

The Ministry of Labour said the study will provide “valuable research to the private sector on the labour market demands and skills needed in Alberta going forward.”