Policy And Regulatory Changes For Alberta AUC Approvals For Power Plants

The New Regulations codify the findings and recommendations from the Alberta Utilities Commission's (AUC) Module A inquiry (the Inquiry). The AUC's Inquiry Report provides summaries of the submissions and observations related to development of specific types or classes of agricultural or environmental land, the impact of power plant development on viewscapes and reclamation security requirements for power plants, development on Crown lands, and the role of municipal governments in the development and review of power plant applications.

Based on the Inquiry and resulting Report, on February 28, 2024, Alberta's Minister of Affordability and Utilities (Minister) issued a policy direction letter to the AUC (the Policy Guidance) announcing the Government of Alberta's six policy and regulatory changes to clarify the rules for future renewable energy projects and developments. A detailed discussion of these policy and regulatory changes are set out in a previous post here.