Alberta premier offers up contradictory versions for imposed wind, solar pause
Global News
Smith has faced criticism for announcing the moratorium with no advance notice and without consulting stakeholders, jeopardizing billions in potential investment in renewables.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith offered up conflicting explanations Monday for why her government put a temporary ban on large wind and solar energy projects.
Smith said the seven-month pause on renewables started because the Alberta Utilities Commission and the Alberta Electric System Operator, or AESO, wrote to government on July 21 asking for it.
However, neither letter asks for a moratorium.
“The Alberta Electric System Operator asked for us to do a pause to make sure that we could address issues of stability of the grid,” Smith told reporters in Calgary, directing them to the letters posted online by her government.
“The Alberta Utilities Commission asked us to do a pause while we figured out how we could deal with end-of-life reclamation.
“I would just encourage you to dig up that original (Aug. 3) press release that we put out and look at what the two regulators have asked us to do.”
The Utilities Commission letter asks for policy or legislative action to address a high volume of renewable and thermal power plant applications, along with their development on high value agricultural land, and rules on how they are to be reclaimed once the work is done.
The AESO letter simply thanks the government for informing it that the government plans to impose a moratorium.
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