AESO Issues Its Long-Term Outlook For Electricity In Alberta

What is the Long-term Outlook?

At least every two years the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) shares with the market its long-term (20 year) forecast of Alberta's electricity demand and the generation capacity needed to meet that demand.  The forecast is called the Long-term Outlook ("LTO"), and the AESO uses it to help guide transmission planning in Alberta.  This is because it is the AESO, and not transmission companies, that determines and implements transmission system expansions and enhancements.

The LTO is important to Alberta's electricity market participants because it describes some of the factors affecting future load growth, generation development and, though not expressly discussed in the LTO, power pool prices in Alberta.  After all, the AESO has access to market data, stakeholder and government information, experts (including its own) and internal Alberta industry experience and knowledge that is not available to most of us in the market.