AUC renewables inquiry Module A - oral submissions

Proceeding 28501:  Register

Virtual oral submissions:   Watch here

 

The AUC is holding an inquiry into the ongoing economic, orderly and efficient development of electricity generation in Alberta.

Related bulletins, announcements and reference material

Fact sheets

 

Scope of the AUC’s inquiry

The inquiry has been separated into two modules (Module A and Module B) to explore the key issues identified in the Alberta government’s order-in-council. The AUC issued a notice on October 3, 2023, outlining the process for Module A.

Module A will explore the land impact issues identified in the Alberta government’s
order-in-council, including the role of municipal governments and more specifically the following:

  1. Considerations on development of power plants on specific types or classes of agricultural or environmental land.
  2. Considerations of the impact of power plant development on Alberta’s pristine viewscapes.
  3. Considerations of implementing mandatory reclamation security requirements for power plants.
  4. Considerations for development of power plants on lands held by the Crown in Right of Alberta.

Module B will consider the impact the increasing growth of renewables has to both generation supply mix and electricity system reliability.

Participation

The AUC provided several options for parties to participate in the inquiry (Proceeding 28501) and could choose their preferred means to have their submissions considered.

Comment matrix

The AUC prepared a comment matrix, organized by key issue, which could be used as a template to assist parties who wished to prepare written submissions. The comment matrix is now closed.

Written submissions

Parties were able provide written submissions in their preferred format on the AUC’s eFiling System until November 22, 2023. All submissions, including completed comment matrices, are publicly available on the AUC’s eFiling System under Proceeding 28501. Instructions for how to log in and register an eFiling System account can be found in the AUC’s eFiling System basics brochure.

Oral submissions and questions from the AUC

The AUC is providing the opportunity for interested parties to make oral submissions to the Commission panel on the inquiry topics for Module A. These sessions will be conducted virtually through Zoom and livestreamed through the AUC’s YouTube channel.

Submissions from members of the general public will be conducted December 4-6. Submissions from organizations, including municipalities, First Nations, Métis communities, corporations or industry associations and other groups will be conducted virtually during the week of December 11. A schedule of participants can be found here.

Registrations were accepted until 4 p.m. on November 28, 2023. Additional information can be found here.

Participant group Week of
General public December 4, 2023 – 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

December 5, 2023 – 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

December 6, 2023 – 1:15 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Municipalities,
First Nations,
Métis communities,
corporations or industry
associations and other
groups
December 11, 2023 – 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

December 12, 2023 – 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

December 13, 2023 – 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Registrations were accepted until 4 p.m. on November 28, 2023. Additional information can be found here.

Expert reports

The AUC has commissioned a number of expert reports related to the land impact issues covered in Module A. These reports were made publicly available on the AUC’s eFiling System in Proceeding 28501 on November 10, 2023.

Parties are invited to comment on the expert reports in their own written submissions. If you have any questions about the expert reports, please direct these questions towards Victor Choy at victor.choy@auc.ab.ca. The expert reports are listed below.

Expert Scope of report
Ecoventure Inc.
  • To review the decommissioning and reclamation practices and costs from completed projects and models for liability management and end of life security programs in Alberta and other jurisdictions.
  • To review reclamation closure requirements and provide recommendations and a framework for closure endpoints.
  • To develop cost estimates for decommissioning and reclamation based on metrics such as land use, location, area, type of disturbance, etc.
Tannas Conservation Services Ltd.
  • To provide an inventory of agricultural land in Alberta, including its classification and location within the province and what that means from a productivity perspective.
  • To examine the impact of power plant development on agricultural land.
  • To discuss required physical reclamation work to achieve equivalent land capability.
Dr. Colin Mackie
  • To explore and make recommendations around best practices for the design of a reclamation security program, including a discussion of specific components and their implications.
Nichols Applied Management Inc.
  • To provide a review and discussion of the impact of power plant development on Alberta’s pristine viewscapes.

In-person open-house sessions

The AUC held open-house sessions in three locations (listed below) in November where AUC staff were available to share information about the AUC, the inquiry process, and how to participate in the inquiry.

City Dates and times Location
Red Deer November 2, 3-8 p.m. Radisson Hotel Red Deer
Medicine Hat November 7, 3-8 p.m. Wyndham Garden Medicine Hat Conference Center
Pincher Creek November 8, 3-8 p.m. Heritage Inn Hotel & Convention Centre

Module A process steps

The AUC has established the following process schedule for Module A:

Process step Date
Deadline for budgets for expert reports October 13, 2023
Open house sessions Various locations and dates from November 2 to November 8, 2023
AUC releases independent expert reports November 10, 2023
Comment matrix and written submissions due November 22, 2023
AUC to identify parties and issues for oral questioning (if any) No later than December 4, 2023
Dates reserved for oral questioning from the AUC (if any) and oral submissions from interested parties December 4-6 and 11-15, 2023

Privacy

To support an open and transparent process, information you send to the AUC will be publicly available through the AUC’s eFiling System. If there is confidential information you would like to file, a request must be made in advance of filing your submission.

Please contact us at 310-4AUC (310-4282) in Alberta or info@auc.ab.ca for more information or assistance.

AUC inquiry into the ongoing economic, orderly and efficient development of electricity generation in Alberta – Module A