Electricity Statistics
On this page
- Existing Generating
Capacity - Generation Additions
- Proposed Generation
- Current Decommissions
- Imports / Exports
- Customer Usage
Estimates
Electricity Supply
An important objective of electricity restructuring has been the development of a competitive generation market. Access for all power producers to Alberta's interconnected transmission grid is integral to the success of electricity generation.
Alberta's restructured electricity industry has encouraged efficiencies and allowed new generation supply to come on-line to keep pace with one of the fastest growing economies in North America.
Alberta has seen new generation capacity additions of over 6,500 megawatts (MW) since 1998.
Over 9,200 MW of thermal power, and over 6,900 MW of renewable power, have been proposed by industry for future development.
At present, Alberta has 13,638MW of installed generating capacity. Peak demand in 2010 (climatic year) was 10,226MW – slightly down from 10,236 MW in 2009.
Alberta's Installed Generation and Interconnections Capacity
As of December 2011
Alberta's Installed Generation and Interconnections CapacityGenerating Capacity |
Megawatt (MW) |
|
Coal |
6,185 |
|
Gas |
5,233 |
|
Hydro |
900 |
|
Wind |
893 |
|
Biomass |
354 |
| Waste Heat* |
61 |
|
Fuel Oil |
12 |
|
Subtotal |
13,638 |
|
Interconnections Capacity |
|
|
British Columbia |
750 |
|
Saskatchewan |
150 |
|
Subtotal |
900 |
|
Grand Total |
14,538 |
*Waste heat generation is a system that produces electricity from a heat source that is a by-product of an existing industrial process, the heat that would have been otherwise wasted.
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Alberta's Electrcity Generation - 2010
|
Generation |
Gigawatt hour (GWh)** |
|
Coal |
41,120 |
|
Natural Gas |
24,058 |
|
Hydro |
1620 |
|
Wind |
1629 |
|
Biomass |
1909 |
| Other |
250 |
|
Total |
70,586 |
Generation Additions Since 1998
|
Developer |
Location |
Installed Capacity |
Type |
Year On-line |
| CNRL &ATCO Power | Primrose | 85 | Gas Cogeneration | 1998 |
| Vision Quest (TransAlta) | Waterton Area | 2 | Wind | 1998 |
| Dow / TransAlta | Fort Saskatchewan | 120 | Gas Cogeneration | 1999 |
| Suncrude Canada | Aurora | 80 | Gas Cogeneration | 1999 |
| ATCO Power | Poplar Hill | 45 | Natural Gas | 1999 |
| ATCO Power | Rainbow Lake 4 | 45 | Gas Cogeneration | 1999 |
| BC Hydro | Fort Nelson | 45 | Natural Gas | 1999 |
| Drayton Valley Power | Dapp | 17 | Biomass | 1999 |
| BP Canada Energy | Various | 10 | Natural Gas | 1999 |
| Maxim Energy Corp. | Gold Creek | 7 | Waste Heat | 1999 |
| Altek Power | Willesden Green | 1 | Flare Gas | 1999 |
| ATCO / NOVA / EPCOR | Joffre | 480 | Gas Cogeneration | 2000 |
| Air Liquide | Scotford | 80 | Gas Cogeneration | 2000 |
| Vision Quest (TransAlta) | Castle River | 10 | Wind | 2000 |
| TransCanada | Medicine Hat/Cancarb | 27 | Waste Heat | 2000 |
| Canadian Hydro Developers | Taylor Chute Hydro | 14 | Hydro | 2000 |
| Devon Canada Corp. | Devon | 12 | Natural Gas | 2000 |
| Canadian Hydro Developers | Drywood | 6 | Natural Gas | 2000 |
| Mercury Electric Corp. | Alberta | 3 | Natural Gas | 2000 |
| Canadian Hydro Developers | Cowley Ridge Exp. | 2 | Wind | 2000 |
| University of Alberta | Edmonton Exp. | 25 | Gas Cogeneration | 2000 |
| TransAlta | Suncor Poplar Creek | 360 | Gas Cogeneration | 2001 |
| Encana | Cavalier | 120 | Gas Cogeneration | 2001 |
| Encana / Nexen | Balzac | 106 | Gas Cogeneration | 2001 |
| TransCanada | Carseland | 80 | Gas Cogeneration | 2001 |
| ATCO Power | Rainbow Lake 5 | 45 | Gas Cogeneration | 2001 |
| TransCanada | Redwater | 40 | Gas Cogeneration | 2001 |
| Vision Quest (TransAlta) | Castle River Exp. | 29 | Wind | 2001 |
| Canadian Hydro Developers | Cowley North | 20 | Wind | 2001 |
| TransCanada | Medicine Hat/Cancarb exp. | 9 | Waste Heat | 2001 |
| Maxim Energy Corp. | APP - Taber | 8 | Natural Gas | 2001 |
| Canadian Hydro Developers | Sinnott | 7 | Wind | 2001 |
| Maxim Energy Corp. | APP - Burdette | 7 | Natural Gas | 2001 |
| Maxim Energy Corp. | APP - Coaldale | 6 | Natural Gas | 2001 |
| Penn West | Buck Lake | 6 | Gas Cogeneration | 2001 |
| Maxim Energy Corp. | APP - Fort MacLeod | 4 | Natural Gas | 2001 |
| Vision Quest (TransAlta) | Wateron Area additions | 2 | Wind | 2001 |
| EPCOR/ Peigan First Nation | Pincher Creek (Weather Dancer) | 1 | Wind | 2001 |
| Lundbrek Developments | Lundbrek | 1 | Wind | 2001 |
| Maxim Energy Corp. | Gift Lake | 1 | Waste Heat | 2001 |
| ATCO Power | Albian Muskeg River | 170 | Gas Cogeneration | 2002 |
| Imperial Oil | Cold Lake | 168 | Gas Cogeneration | 2002 |
| TransCanada | Bear Creek | 80 | Gas & Biomass Cogeneration |
2002 |
| ATCO Power | Valleyview 1 | 45 | Natural Gas | 2002 |
| TransAlta | Sundance #6 exp. | 35 | Coal | 2002 |
| Northstone Power Corp. | Elmworth Area | 12 | Natural Gas | 2002 |
| Permolex | Red Deer | 4 | Gas Cogeneration | 2002 |
| Maxim Energy Corp. | EVI | 3 | Natural Gas | 2002 |
| Vision Quest (TransAlta) | Summerview pilot | 2 | Wind | 2002 |
| Calpine | Calgary | 300 | Natural Gas | 2003 |
| ATCO Power | Scotford | 180 | Gas Cogeneration | 2003 |
| TransCanada | McKay River | 165 | Gas Cogeneration | 2003 |
| EnCana | Foster Creek | 80 | Gas Cogeneration | 2003 |
| Vision Quest (TransAlta) | McBride Lake | 75 | Wind | 2003 |
| ATCO Power | Oldman River 1, 2 |
32 | Hydro | 2003 |
| ATCO Power |
Albanian Muskeg River exp. |
30 | Gas Cogeneration | 2003 |
| SAIT | Calgary | 3 | Gas Cogeneration | 2003 |
| Vision Quest (TransAlta) | McBride Lake East | 1 | Wind | 2003 |
| Vision Quest (TransAlta) | Summerview #1 | 68 | Wind | 2004 |
| Suncor / Enbridge / EHN |
Magrath | 30 | Wind | 2004 |
| Irrican | St. Mary River | 7 | Hydro | 2004 |
| Mercury Electric Corp. | Alberta exp. | 5 | Natural Gas | 2004 |
| Vision Quest (TransAlta) | MacLeod Flats | 3 | Wind | 2004 |
| EPCOR | Genesee 3 | 450 | Coal | 2005 |
| Canadian Hydro Developers | Grande Prairie | 25 | Biomass Cogeneration | 2005 |
| Talisman | Edson | 12 | Gas Cogeneration | 2005 |
| EnCana / Nexen | Balzac | 9 | Gas Cogeneration | 2005 |
| EPCOR | Clover Bar | 5 | Biogas | 2005 |
| Highmark Renewables | Vegreville | 1 | Biogas | 2005 |
| Syncrude | Mildred Lake | 97 | Gas Cogeneration | 2006 |
| Syncrude Canada | Aurora exp. | 80 | Gas Cogeneration | 2006 |
| GW Power/Nexen | Soderglen | 71 | Wind | 2006 |
| Suncor | Chin Chute | 30 | Wind | 2006 |
| ATCO Power | Sheerness #1 exp. | 12 | Coal | 2006 |
| ATCO Power | Sheerness #2 exp. | 12 | Coal | 2006 |
| Kettle Hills Wind Energy |
Pincher Creek | 9 | Wind | 2006 |
| Canadian Hydro Developers |
Taylor | 3 | Wind | 2006 |
| Enmax Purple Springs | Taber | 81 | Wind | 2007 |
| Suncor | Firebag | 85 | Gas Cogeneration | 2007 |
| Kettle Hills Wind Energy |
Pincher Creek exp. | 54 | Wind | 2007 |
| TransAlta | Wabamun / Sundance #4 exp. | 53 | Coal | 2007 |
| City of Medicine Hat | Medicine Hat upgrade | 10 | Natural Gas | 2007 |
| Air Liquide | Scotford exp. | 16 | Gas Cogeneration | 2007 |
| OPTI/Nexen | Long Lake | 180 | Gas Cogeneration | 2008 |
| CNRL Horizon Phase 1 |
Fort McMurray | 103 | Gas Cogeneration | 2008 |
| Constellation Northern Prairie |
Grande Prairie | 93 | Natural Gas | 2008 |
| EPCOR | Edmonton / Clover Bar #1 | 48 | Natural Gas | 2008 |
| ATCO Valleyview #2 | Valleyview 2 | 47 | Natural Gas | 2008 |
| Shell Canada | Caroline | 20 | Waste Heat | 2008 |
| AltaGas | Bantry | 7 | Natural Gas | 2008 |
| AltaGas | Parkland | 7 | Natural Gas | 2008 |
| EnCana/Nexen | Balzac exp. | 5 | Gas Cogeneration | 2008 |
| BC Hydro | Fort Nelson upgrade | 2 | Natural Gas | 2008 |
| SAIT | Calgary upgrade | 1 | Gas Cogeneration | 2008 |
| EPCOR | Edmonton / Clover Bar #2 | 101 | Natural Gas | 2009 |
| EPCOR | Edmonton / Clover Bar #3 | 101 | Natural Gas | 2009 |
| MEG Energy | Christina Lake 1 | 94 | Gas Cogeneration | 2009 |
| TransAlta | Fort MacLeod / Blue Trail Wind Farm | 66 | Wind | 2009 |
| TransAlta | Wabamun / Sundance #5 exp. | 53 | Coal | 2009 |
| City of Medicine Hat | CT15 | 42 | Natural Gas | 2009 |
| Enmax | Airdrie / Crossfield #1 | 40 | Natural Gas | 2009 |
| Enmax | Airdrie / Crossfield #2 | 40 | Natural Gas | 2009 |
| Enmax | Airdrie / Crossfield #3 | 40 | Natural Gas | 2009 |
| ATCO Power | Scotford exp | 15 | Gas Cogeneration | 2009 |
| ATCO Power | Albian Muskeg River upgrade | 2 | Gas Cogeneration | 2009 |
| Finavera | Ghost Pine Wind Farm | 82 | Wind | 2010 |
| TransAlta | Summerview #2 | 66 | Wind | 2010 |
| TransAlta | Ardenville Wind Farm | 66 | Wind | 2010 |
| Nexen | Long Lake exp. | 40 | Natural Gas | 2010 |
| AltaGas | Harmattan | 15 | Natural Gas | 2010 |
| TransAlta/Capital Power | Keephills 3 | 450 | Coal | 2011 |
| Weyerhaeuser Canada | Grande Prairie Pulp Mill | 48 | Biomass Cogeneration | 2011 |
| Suncor | Wintering Hills/Drumheller Area | 88 | Wind | 2011 |
| University of Calgary | Calgary Exp. | 15 | Gas Cogeneration | 2011 |
| Total New Generation Addition |
6,558 |
Proposed Generation
|
Type |
Number of Projects |
Total Capacity (MW) |
|
Renewables |
39 |
6,907 |
|
Thermal and Other |
36 |
9,260 |
|
Total |
75 |
16,167 |
Proposed Generation Includes: Projects under Active Construction; Projects with Regulatory Approval; Projects that have been announced, Applied for AESO Interconnection and/or applied for Regulatory Approval; and Projects that have been deferred.
For a complete listing of Proposed Generation projects visit AESO's website at:
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Generation Decommissions Since 1998
|
Developer |
Location |
Capacity Removed |
Type |
Decommissioning |
|
ATCO Power |
Battle River 1, 2 |
56 |
Coal |
1998 |
| TransAlta | Wabamun 3 |
140 |
Coal |
2003 |
| TransAlta |
Wabamun 1, 2 |
128 |
Coal |
2005 |
| EPCOR |
Clover Bar |
629 |
Natural Gas |
2005 |
| Mercury Electric Corp. | Alberta | 8 |
Natural Gas |
2005 |
|
EPCOR |
Rossdale 8, 9, 10 |
203 |
Natural Gas |
2009 |
| City of Medicine Hat | Units 5, 8 | 37 |
Natural Gas |
2009 |
| TransAlta | Wabamun 4 | 279 | Coal | 2010 |
|
Total Decommissioned |
1,480 |
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Imports / Exports
| 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | |
|
Exports volume (MWh) |
489,465 |
973,217 |
558,759 |
513,162 | 459,381 |
|
Exports value ($ million) |
$19.40 | $37.10 | $25.38 | $14.21 | 12.82 |
|
Imports volume (MWh) |
1,517,035 | 1,467,221 | 2,248,118 | 2,018,607 | 2,204,839 |
|
Imports value ($ million) |
$193.27 | $147.40 | $266.00 | $124.17 | 144.81 |
Operations
|
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
|
|
Peak Demand* (MW) |
9,661 | 9,701 | 9,806 |
10,236 |
10,196 |
|
Average Pool Price ($/MWh)** |
80.79 | 66.95 | 89.95 |
47.81 |
50.88 |
| Maximum Pool Price ($/MWh) | 1,000 | 1,000 | 1,000 |
1,000 |
1,000 |
| Minimum Pool Price ($/MWh) | 5.42 | 0 | 0 |
0.10 |
0 |
| Total Energy (GWh)** | 69,371 | 69,661 | 69,947 |
69,904 |
71,723 |
|
Number of Power Pool Participants |
222 |
209 | 213 |
210 |
164 |
*Peak demand is based on the climatic year (October to September).
**A gigawatt hour (GWh) is equal to 1,000 megawatt hours (MWh) and one MWh is equal to 1,000 kilowatt hours (KWh). For context the average household in Alberta consumes 7,200 kWh (0.7 MWh) of electricity per year,
AESO also offers real time pricing reports.
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Customer Usage Estimates
|
Number of Customers |
Usage (GwH) |
||||||
|
|
2009 |
2010 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
|
Residential |
1,281,296 |
1,305,451 |
8,232 |
8,558 |
8,833 |
9,090 |
9,071 |
|
Farm |
81,247 |
82,505 |
1,767 |
1,806 |
1,803 |
1,900 |
1,708 |
|
Commercial |
160,796 |
163,722 |
12,715 |
13,134 |
13,526 |
13,534 |
13,748 |
|
Industrial |
36,350 |
36,646 |
29,017 |
28,340 |
27,878 |
26,803 |
27,076 |
|
Total* |
1,559,689 |
1,588,324 |
51,731 |
51,838 |
52,041 |
51,328 |
51,603 |
Source: ERCB
Does not include line losses and electricity generated on-site for on-site use.
