BREAKING: Alberta Slaps 7-Month Moratorium on Solar and Wind, Puts Booming Industry at Risk

Alberta is putting a booming renewable energy industry at risk and setting a double standard in the way it treats renewable and fossil fuel development, clean energy groups said today, after the province slapped a seven-month moratorium on new solar and wind projects over a megawatt in size.

The decision could erode investor confidence and undermine the “Alberta advantage” in the province that accounted for 75% of the growth in Canada’s renewable energy sector last year, the Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CanREA) warned in a release. The association is meeting with provincial politicians and regulators “with the aim of minimizing the duration of the moratorium and creating clarity on its consequences,” the release added.

“This is a mistake,” said CanREA President and CEO Vittoria Bellissimo. “The Alberta government, Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC), and Alberta Electricity System Operator need to move quickly to sort out this situation for all Alberta ratepayers, investors, and municipalities.”

Other groups were sharper in their criticism.

“According to the Alberta Premier, massive tailings spills that endanger Indigenous communities don’t constitute an emergency—but the potential for expanding cost-effective and proven climate solutions at a time when Canada is burning somehow poses a threat,” added Climate Action Network-Canada Executive Director Caroline Brouillette.

Click here for the rest of this breaking story.