With the deregulation of the electric industry in Alberta, the price paid for electric generation is no longer regulated. The government is allowing the free market to set the price for electricity. Generators sell their power to the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) following the concept which is called an “Energy Only Market”. For more information, you can review a report on the state of the market from the Alberta Market Surveillance Administrators.
"MSA reports include regular publications such as the MSA’s Annual Report, Year in Review and Quarterly Report, which serve to provide information on market events, trends and observations concerning the fair, efficient and openly competitive operation of the market. Other reports deal with special events, such as investigations. Reports are typically accompanied by a Notice which provides summary information about the content and the motivation behind releasing the report."
A number of new facilities have been built since 2000. Recently the industry is investing in wind generation and today wind represents 9% of the market installed capacity. To monitor generation supply and current pricing visit AESO’s online and real-time trading web page Alberta Electric Systems Operation.
Energy deregulation in Alberta will allow the customer to choose their own energy providers, and with greater choice in the market, competition will stimulate the economy.
Generation is part one of a three-part series, for more information review these relevant articles:
- Understanding Deregulation Part 2: Power Transmission
- Understanding Deregulation Part 3: Power Distribution
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