Alberta
Boxing Day Special! Alberta had free power for several hours, and that’s not a good thing
From the Frontier Centre for Public Policy
Imagine, if you will, a Boxing Day sale where everything was free for everyone across every store at the same time, for several hours.
And imagine if in early morning hours of Dec. 26, Best Buy, Staples, Walmart, and indeed every single store in the entire economy got paid precisely zero dollars for their wares for several hours that morning.
Preposterous, you say!
Indeed, it did happen, in Alberta’s free-wheeling unregulated electrical market. The pool price, as recorded by the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) was $0.00 per megawatt at 4-7 a.m., and from 11 a.m. until noon.
And as a pool price, that means unless there’s some other contract going, that’s the price all generators get paid.
I might not have an MBA, but I’m fairly certain no business model in the world can survive getting paid nothing at all for their product for terribly long. If McDonalds, Burger King and Tim Horton’s all gave away their breakfasts on Dec. 26 to all comers, they couldn’t do it for long before someone would realize this is idiocy and shut the doors.
So what was happening during those wee hours in the morning, as the Boxing Day shoppers were in line for their flat screen TVs? It was quite windy in Alberta.
X bot account @ReliableAB, which logs hourly reports of the AESO minute-by-minute reporting of the grid showed that wind generation was just a hummin’. For several weeks, Alberta wind power has been been frequently pumping out high numbers, often in excess of 70 per cent of its nameplate capacity. One would think this would be a great thing, right? It’s finally doing what it’s supposed to do.
At 4:38 a.m., @ReliableAB reported Alberta’s now 45 wind farms were putting out 3,508 megawatts of the installed capacity of 4,481 megawatts while the pool price was zero.
At that point, wind was generating a full 33 per cent of total generation, which again, sounds like great news.
It was during one of the deadest periods of economic activity in the whole year, the night after Christmas. Demand in Alberta was low, with an internal load of 9,632 megawatts. The lack of demand happened to coincide with lots of surplus power being dumped onto the grid.
(As it was still dark, solar wasn’t a factor.)
What to do? How about sell as much as you can?
And that’s what happened. Alberta was pumping out 995 megawatts of power exports to its neighbours, 967 megawatts to BC, 26 to Saskatchewan, and two megawatts to Montana.
This situation is also the converse of what I’ve been reporting on over almost precisely 24 months, the frequent collapse of wind power generation in Alberta. Almost every time that has happened, the pool price shoots up, often hitting $700, $800, $900 or even the theoretical maximum of $999.99 per megawatt hour. If the maximum was $2,000, I’m willing to bet it would have hit those heights, too. And the integral under that graph – what consumers get on their bill – is horrendous.
So here we have renewable, “green” power in surplus, driving prices down for everyone, and so much so that it can benefit the neighbours, too.
But therein is the fundamental problem. No one, not Best Buy, McDonalds or Capital Power can produce product for nothing, and definitely not for extended periods. There is a cost to generating power, be it capital or fuel or operating costs. Nor can they sell their products, be it flat screen TVs, hamburgers or electricity for next to nothing, either. The entire economic model will collapse, and then what? Who will provide the power then?
When I wrote my first story on Alberta wind power on Dec. 28, 2021, the province had 2,269 megawatts on nameplate wind generation capacity. It’s now double that, at 4,481 megawatts, a level where big swings in wind power production have a huge impact. And Alberta’s last coal plant will switch to natural gas in a few months.
And there’s more wind coming. Oct. 24, the Calgary Herald noted, “More than 3,500 megawatts of renewable power generation projects are now under construction in Alberta.
“By the end of August, the AESO received 74 wind and solar project applications after the moratorium was announced, (Premier Danielle) Smith noted.”
What’s going to happen when all that comes online, when Alberta will have around 9,600 megawatts of wind and solar, almost equal to daily demand? Will the grid be flooded with power so cheap that reliable, dispatchable power generators can’t stay in business, only to see prices skyrocket when wind and solar inevitably fail, as they frequently do, and at the worst times?
Sounds like a recipe for utter chaos. And blackouts.
Brian Zinchuk is editor and owner of Pipeline Online, and occasional contributor to the Frontier Centre for Public Policy. He can be reached at [email protected].
Alberta
Emissions Reduction Alberta offering financial boost for the next transformative drilling idea
From the Canadian Energy Centre
$35-million Alberta challenge targets next-gen drilling opportunities
‘All transformative ideas are really eligible’
Forget the old image of a straight vertical oil and gas well.
In Western Canada, engineers now steer wells for kilometres underground with remarkable precision, tapping vast energy resources from a single spot on the surface.
The sector is continually evolving as operators pursue next-generation drilling technologies that lower costs while opening new opportunities and reducing environmental impacts.
But many promising innovations never reach the market because of high development costs and limited opportunities for real-world testing, according to Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA).
That’s why ERA is launching the Drilling Technology Challenge, which will invest up to $35 million to advance new drilling and subsurface technologies.
“The focus isn’t just on drilling, it’s about building our future economy, helping reduce emissions, creating new industries and making sure we remain a responsible leader in energy development for decades to come,” said ERA CEO Justin Riemer.
And it’s not just about oil and gas. ERA says emerging technologies can unlock new resource opportunities such as geothermal energy, deep geological CO₂ storage and critical minerals extraction.
“Alberta’s wealth comes from our natural resources, most of which are extracted through drilling and other subsurface technologies,” said Gurpreet Lail, CEO of Enserva, which represents energy service companies.
ERA funding for the challenge will range from $250,000 to $8 million per project.
Eligible technologies include advanced drilling systems, downhole tools and sensors; AI-enabled automation and optimization; low-impact rigs and fluids; geothermal and critical mineral drilling applications; and supporting infrastructure like mobile labs and simulation platforms.
“All transformative ideas are really eligible for this call,” Riemer said, noting that AI-based technologies are likely to play a growing role.
“I think what we’re seeing is that the wells of the future are going to be guided by smart sensors and real-time data. You’re going to have a lot of AI-driven controls that help operators make instant decisions and avoid problems.”
Applications for the Drilling Technology Challenge close January 29, 2026.
The Police Review Commission (PRC) is now fully operational, giving Albertans a single, independent process to file policing complaints and ensure accountability.
Alberta’s government is putting the province at the forefront of police oversight in Canada with the creation of the PRC. This new commission replaces the current patchwork of police investigating police with one independent body responsible for receiving complaints, conducting investigations and overseeing disciplinary hearings. By centralizing these functions within a single, independent agency, Alberta is ensuring complaints are handled fairly and consistently.
“The Police Review Commission represents a new era in how Alberta addresses policing complaints. These changes are part of a broader paradigm shift where police are no longer seen as an arm of the state, but rather an extension and a reflection of the community they serve. As an independent agency, it is committed to fairness, accountability and public trust, ensuring every complaint is investigated impartially and resolved openly.”
The Police Amendment Act, 2022 laid the groundwork for this new model, establishing a modern approach to oversight built on accountability, consistency and public confidence. The PRC will manage the full complaints process from receiving and assessing, to investigating and resolving complaints related to police conduct, including serious incidents and statutory offences.
“The Alberta Association of Chiefs of Police welcomes the launch of the Police Review Commission as a meaningful step toward enhanced oversight and greater transparency in policing. By ensuring complaints are reviewed fairly and impartially, the Commission will help strengthen accountability and reinforce public trust in Alberta’s police agencies. Police leaders across the province are committed to working with the Commission and our communities to ensure every Albertan has confidence in the integrity of our police services.”
A timely and transparent complaint resolution process is essential for both the public and police. That is why the PRC must complete investigations within 180 days, and if more time is needed, the chief executive officer must publicly report on delays and provide justification. This ensures clarity, predictability and accountability throughout the process. The commission will be arm’s length from government and police services, meaning people can have greater confidence that their complaints will be investigated and resolved impartially.
“Our goal is to build trust in policing by delivering timely resolutions and fair, consistent outcomes that put people first. Every complaint will be reviewed thoroughly and handled with the transparency and respect Albertans expect and deserve.”
The PRC can also initiate systemic reviews related to police conduct or emerging trends without the need for a public complaint, and these reviews must be made public. Together, these measures create a clear, accountable process that strengthens transparency, supports continuous improvement and enhances trust in how police oversight is carried out across Alberta.
“Public safety and the confidence the public has in our police services and service members are incumbent for effective and responsible service delivery. The PRC has been developed so that Albertans may have a responsible and impartial mechanism to voice concerns regarding delivery of policing services in Alberta. I am confident that the PRC will be an inclusive and diverse representation of the communities, so we may better understand the most appropriate and effective way to respond to concerns regarding police services. I look forward to the positive outcomes for the community.”
The commission’s design was informed by engagement with Indigenous communities, law enforcement partners, municipal officials and community organizations, ensuring its structure and training reflect Alberta’s diversity and values.
Quick facts
- The PRC will handle complaints in three categories:
- Level 1: Death, serious injury and serious or sensitive allegations involving all police services in Alberta, as well as peace officer agencies.
- Level 2: Allegations of criminal and other statutory offences involving all police services in Alberta.
- Level 3: Complaints about non-criminal misconduct involving officers employed by municipal and First Nations police services.
- Complaints that fall outside the three categories will be referred to the appropriate bodies or agencies for review.
- The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) will now operate under the PRC.
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