Regulator Attributes Rotating Outages in Alberta to ‘Multiple Factors’
Residents in Alberta experienced rotating outages after a second electrical grid alert was issued this week, according to the Alberta Electric System Operator.
The organization said a grid alert due to a shortage of electricity supply on April 5 resulted in rotating outages around the province.
“It is truly a combination of many things that occurred that got us into the rotating outage situation,” Ms. Samaroden said.
One of the complications was that one of the plants tripped, going offline, reducing the amount of electricity in the grid, she explained.
She said the system should be “in normal operating condition” for the weekend.
Premier Danielle Smith said her government was committed to protecting the provincial electricity supply.
“Our government is committed to protecting Alberta’s grid and ensuring our province continues to generate reliable baseload power both now and in the future,” Ms. Smith added.
January Alerts
Alberta’s grid experienced similar problems in January during a cold snap in the province.
Alberta’s government has been opposing the federal government’s proposed net-zero electricity grid requirement by 2035, saying the province needs to rely on natural gas for its electricity needs and that renewables aren’t enough to meet all the demand.
Rahul Vaidyanath and Brian Zinchuk contributed to this report.