Alberta government says advisory report shows federal electricity targets are ‘reckless’

The Alberta government pointed Tuesday to a new report from a federal advisory committee, calling it proof that Ottawa should abandon its “reckless” 2035 clean electricity targets.

But the chair of the committee behind the report said its recommendations are aimed at toning down the political rhetoric around clean power and helping Ottawa and the provinces find common ground.

The federally appointed Canada Electricity Advisory Council — a group made up of industry leaders, Indigenous leaders and executives — released a report Monday with suggestions on how Ottawa can accomplish its goal of decarbonizing the country’s electricity grid.

The federal government, in its draft clean electricity regulations released earlier this year, has set a target date of 2035 to get the country’s electricity generators to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.

Alberta and Saskatchewan, which have limited access to clean hydroelectricity and are still heavily reliant on natural gas for electricity production, have both said the date is unattainable.

While Alberta has seen a rapid expansion of wind and solar power in recent years, the province has said the intermittent nature of renewable generation means natural gas is still required to ensure reliable and affordable electricity supply.

While there are options to reduce emissions from natural gas power generation, such as carbon capture and storage, Alberta has said it will take time to deploy them.

The province has said it will work toward a 2050 net-zero grid instead.

In its report, the Canada Electricity Advisory Council acknowledged that decarbonizing electricity production will be a “daunting” challenge in jurisdictions like Alberta and Saskatchewan.

The council recommends that these provinces receive targeted federal financial support, and suggests investment tax credits for emissions-reducing technology should be “skewed” towards the jurisdictions that most need the help to decarbonize.

The council has also recommended that the federal government be “flexible” around some of its expectations when it comes to these provinces.

“What we think is doable is getting to the ultimate 2050 goal … We didn’t stick to a particular time frame,” said Philippe Dunsky, the founder of Dunsky Energy and Climate…