Issue Brief: Alberta government announces new restrictions on renewable energy development (Updated)

Mar
21
2024

Last Updated: March 20, 2024

Latest Updates | March 5, 2024 Updates

On February 28, 2024, following a 7-month "pause" on the approval of new renewable energy projects in the province, the Government of Alberta (GoA) announced their plans for future renewables development, and issued a letter to the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) advising them of the policy, legislative and regulatory changes that they intend to advance regarding the development of renewable energy projects. What follows is a compilation of news coverage, opinion and analysis, and responses to the government's announcement from AEN members, and other environmental advocacy organizations.

Latest Updates

On March 15, 2024, the Government of Alberta sent a draft map to industry members, providing additional clarity on the areas where renewable energy development will be restricted. The map was less restrictive than some had feared, but questions remain.

Earlier, the Alberta Utilities Commission released the first of two reports resulting from its inquiry into the renewable energy industry in Alberta. The report concluded that compared to other forms of industrial development, renewables power projects pose little threat of agricultural land loss, and have "well-understood and relatively contained reclamation risks."

Past Updates

March 5, 2024

News Reports

Opinion & Analysis

ENGO Responses

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It is our understanding at the Alberta Environmental Network that Reconciliation starts with the land, and there is no Reconciliation until we have faced the Truth. While Truth is held collectively, we recognize everyone is on their own learning journey, at their own pace. Our work at AEN focuses on the lands outlined by the Province of Alberta, lands with which we are learning to be in kinship relationship, in the nêhiyaw (Cree) spirit of treaty-making. The lands we work for are described in Treaties 4, 6, 7, 8, and 10. The traditional keepers of this land are Anishinabe, Nêhiyawak (Cree), Dené, Dane-zaa, Nakota, Îyârhe Nakoda (Stoney Nakoda), Tsuut’ina, and Siksikaitsitapi (Blackfoot Confederacy); this land is also the homeland of the Métis. We are committed to building meaningful reciprocal relationships, to be of service particularly to those directly experiencing the effects of oppression, genocide, and exploitation.