, Smith said she recognized that interim targets needed to be in place when it comes to emissions reductions.Smith had convened a press conference on Thursday just two hours after Alberta Electric System Operator , the organization responsible for operating the province's power grid, said Ottawa's proposed pose a disproportionate risk and cost to Alberta compared to other provinces.
"Regardless of how much intermittent wind and solar Alberta has, the provincial grid will need sufficient dispatchable generation to meet the cold, dark, windless winter nights that we have in this province and form our peak load conditions," he said. "I keep seeing critics falsely claim that we are banning all gas generation by 2035 — upon threat of jail time," he said. "This fabrication is not designed to inform, it is designed to inflame.
Guilbeault released the proposed CER regulations in August. The provincial government has frequently referred to those targets as being too aggressive. "The draft regulations are designed with at least 12 years before they come into effect, giving time to attract investment and adjust decision-making," he said.Blake Shaffer, a University of Calgary economist who specializes in electricity markets, says it's difficult to comment on the assessment released by AESO on Thursday, as the details of their modelling work and the assumptions that go into it haven't been provided.