AWA Wilderness & Wildlife Defenders: AB Coal Plant Approval
August 17, 2011
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On August 10, 2011, Maxim Power Corp. was given final approval by the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) to construct a 500-megawatt (MW) coal plant in the area of Grande Cache, Alberta. This decision was made just in time, enabling Maxim’s non-compliant plant to be commissioned before July 1, 2015 when new federal carbon legislation comes into effect.
Apart from the substantial environmental footprint associated with this expansion, we are especially concerned with the expedited manner in which this approval was given. It seems decisions made by the AUC, as well as alleged advice given by Environment Canada, have assisted Maxim Power in avoiding new federal carbon legislation and constructing a non-compliant coal plant. Approval of this plant will prevent the province from achieving its target greenhouse-gas reductions, and will also make it difficult for Prime Minister Stephen Harper to achieve his promise to reduce Canadian greenhouse-gas emissions 17 % by 2020.
New federal regulations regarding coal-fired electricity generation will not come into effect until 2015, but we were assured by statements made by former Minister of Environment Jim Prentice that in the meantime, non-compliant coal plants would not be expedited: “We will guard against any rush to build non-compliant coal plants in the interim.”
AWA is calling on Environment Canada to rigorously review Maxim Power’s application and ensure promises made to Canadians are reflected by government action.
