‘We are a natural gas province’: Smith says Alberta needs power plants, not wind and solar
Alberta’s premier assured a ballroom of rural leaders Wednesday that she doesn’t need to see the province transfer away from electrical energy generated from fossil fuels, whereas complaining about photo voltaic panels overlaying farm land.
“This is a natural gas basin. We are a natural gas province and we will continue to build natural gas power plants because that is what makes sense in Alberta,” Danielle Smith mentioned.
“Yes, hydro makes perfect sense in Quebec and B.C. and Manitoba. And Ontario has nuclear and hydro as well. But we have to keep fueling our economy with natural gas power plants.”
Smith made the feedback on the spring conference of the Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA) that was held in downtown Edmonton. The RMA is made up of 69 counties and municipal districts.
She added that carbon seize and utilization will assist Alberta meet emissions targets, however did not point out local weather change.
The premier’s feedback on energy got here after she was requested a couple of lack of municipal management in undertaking approval and photo voltaic panels overlaying “prime land” with out cleanup bonds in place to verify firms pay for reclamation.
“I’m supportive of solar and wind projects where they make sense. But I can tell you from conversations with people in my own community that putting solar panels on prime agricultural land does not make sense,” Smith responded.
“Especially like the one I drive past in Brooks every day I go down there. It’s covered in ice and snow and not generating any power at all.”
Jim Wood, mayor of Red Deer County, additionally requested Smith what Alberta is doing to verify renewable vitality firms clear up initiatives that in the future grow to be defunct.
“The concern is this: Some of these solar may be only viable due to carbon-credit grants and so forth that may not be here forever. The companies may not have enough finances to in fact do the cleanup,” Wood mentioned.
“And if they’re not viable enough to put a bond up to cover their cleanup, then they’re not viable. And I think it needs to be addressed at the start or we’re going to have the same problem as the orphan wells. And why would we want to bring that to the province of Alberta?”
Smith mentioned laws requiring cleanup bonds is an “open question” for her authorities and one she plans to seek the advice of rural leaders on sooner or later.
The premier has confronted widespread criticism these days over a plan to provide royalty breaks to grease firms for cleansing up inactive wells, which they’re already legally required to.
The province’s vitality minister final week referred to as the Opposition “anti-oil and gas activists” after an NDP MLA demanded firms pay for the cleanup themselves.
The NDP claims the federal government’s proposed $100 million Liability Management Incentive Program is just the beginning of a $20 billion giveaway to grease and gasoline firms.
MLA Marlin Schmidt referred to as the initiative “a scam” within the legislature, drawing a warning from Speaker Nathan Cooper to be used of the phrase.
On Wednesday, Smith acknowledged Alberta first wants to determine the best way to get orphan wells reclaimed earlier than requiring renewables firms to do the identical, however like wells, believes it should grow to be a problem sooner or later.
“In the case of wind-turbine farms, as I understand it, when installing them typically is 1,500 truckloads to install them, that means someone has to pay 1,500 truckloads to take them away,” she mentioned.
NDP Leader Rachel Notley agreed that there must be plans in place to wash up all vitality initiatives, however mentioned the federal government goes about it within the improper approach.
“Danielle Smith is campaigning on giving billions of taxpayers’ {dollars} to financially solvent firms which are selecting to not clear up after themselves. She can’t be trusted on this problem,” she mentioned in an announcement to CTV News Edmonton.
Political scientist Duane Bratt mentioned he wasn’t shocked by Smith’s feedback as a result of being loud cheerleaders of the oil and gasoline trade is a transparent technique of the UCP authorities.
“When they talk about renewables, they talk about it not working when the wind isn’t blowing and the sun isn’t shining and so pivoting to waste issues on renewables, that’s totally on brand,” he mentioned.
Last yr, 67 per cent of Alberta energy was generated from pure gasoline and coal and 31 per cent got here from photo voltaic, wind and hydro, in keeping with Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO).
In 2019, about 89 per cent of Alberta’s electrical energy got here from fossil fuels and 10 per cent from renewables, in keeping with the Canada Energy Regulator.
