TransAlta, a major Alberta utility, has canceled its Riplinger wind power project near Cardston in southern Alberta. The 300-megawatt project was expected to generate enough electricity to power approximately 100,000 homes.
TransAlta CEO John Kousinioris cited the provincial government’s new rules, which create a buffer zone around protected areas and block development in pristine viewscapes, as the reason for the decision. The company is also placing three other developments on hold as the government goes through a redesign of the province’s electricity market.
This is the second setback this week for low-carbon energy generation in Alberta. On Wednesday, Edmonton-based electricity generator Capital Power announced it was canceling plans for a $2.4-billion carbon capture and storage project for its natural gas facility west of the Alberta capital.
The cancellations highlight the challenges facing the development of renewable energy projects in Alberta. The province’s electricity grid is heavily dependent on natural gas, and many analysts believe that offsetting those emissions will require a mix of wind and solar, hydrogen, nuclear power in the form of small modular reactors, and carbon capture and storage in the future.
