Alberta’s 7-month pause on wind, solar projects coming to end

UCP expected to unveil new rules to guide sector

CALGARY • A seven-month pause on wind and solar development in Alberta is coming to an end, but some involved in the sector say increased politicization threatens its future growth.

The industry was caught off guard last August by the United Conservative Party (UCP) government’s move to impose a temporary moratorium on new wind and solar approvals in the province to give it time to study issues related to land use, reclamation and grid reliability.

That moratorium is set to expire Thursday, after which the government is expected to unveil new rules to guide future wind and solar development in the province.

But Dan Balaban, chief executive of Greengate Power Corp., said the government-imposed pause on the renewables sector is just one piece of an increasingly contentious public debate that has left the wind and solar industry feeling like a political football.

“This is really about the politics of energy,” said Balaban, whose company was behind the development of one of the largest solar projects in the world.

“It’s very disappointing because I think there are pragmatic solutions to get us to where we ultimately need to be in terms of providing clean, reliable and affordable energy, and the politics of division aren’t going to get us there. For me, as an entrepreneur, it’s very off-putting.”

The government-imposed moratorium was a response to what has been an explosion of growth in the province’s renewable energy sector in recent years. In 2022, 75 per cent of all new wind and solar projects in Canada were built in Alberta, thanks to the province’s sunny skies, abundance of wind and unique deregulated electricity market.

But the rapid growth led to questions from rural communities about who would be on the hook to clean up renewable energy infrastructure as well as concerns around the use of agricultural land for renewable energy development.

Balaban said all of those questions are valid, but Alberta’s move to shut down the industry while seeking answers was “a very negative signal.”

“It really feels like the renewable energy industry was singled out,” he said.

“I agree that all of these things need to be reviewed, but I certainly don’t see the same level of scrutiny and negativity being directed toward other industries.”

At the time the moratorium was announced, there were 118 renewable energy projects proposed by 64 different development companies either in the permitting stage or about to apply for permitting in Alberta.

I CERTAINLY DON’T SEE THE SAME LEVEL OF SCRUTINY AND NEGATIVITY BEING DIRECTED TOWARD OTHER INDUSTRIES. — DAN BALABAN, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF GREENGATE POWER CORP.