Alberta Utilities Commission Proceeding 28501 Electricity Generation Inquiry – Module A

As directed by the Commission, inquiry Module A addresses the first four of the five “matters” listed in the inquiry’s Terms of Reference.5 In the Terms of Reference, each of those four Module A “matters” refers generally to “power plants.” In contrast, the Terms’ Preamble focuses on renewable energy power plants. [...] These are the lowest percentages of conserved land in the province.16 In 2022, the Government of Canada agreed to an international commitment to preserve 30% of land and water, and to restore 30% of degraded lands and waters, by 2030.17 Consistent with the federal government’s commitment, British Columbia, Yukon, Manitoba, and Quebec have all committed to protect 30% of their land area by 2030. [...] Such a program would be unwarranted because the total land area for renewables, the potential of damage to the environment from the projects, and the cost of reclamation are significantly less than in the other industries where Alberta has imposed such requirements. [...] It did not quantify a) the rate of agricultural land change in Alberta, b) the current and future expected use by agriculture and the renewable energy industry, or c) that industry’s cause of agricultural land loss and conversion relative to those of other land uses. [...] The MDP also lists the goal of “[c]onserv[ing] and protect[ing] the maximum amount of land in the MD as natural capital for use by the agricultural industry….” at pg.