Alberta moratorium on renewables threatens the energy transition

August 4, 2023

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• Energy
• Wind Power

There is a strong need for consistent regulation on renewable energy generation, though a 6-month pause for new renewable energy project approvals could damage the growing sector and cause more environmental harm.

Renewable energy is a viable environment-friendly alternative to fossil fuels. The most common sources of renewable energy in Alberta, wind and solar generators, produce far fewer carbon emissions and are less damaging to wildlife. To reduce carbon emissions and achieve a carbon neutral economy by 2050, a goal declared in Alberta’s Emissions Reduction and Energy Development Plan, there is a need to quickly and efficiently transition to greater renewable energy production.

A review of policy is warranted. Renewable energy projects should be sited away from sensitive landscapes and areas with high biodiversity. A consistent and regulated policy for siting, developing and operating renewable energy projects to minimize harm to wildlife and to the environment.

However, renewable energy projects, unlike fossil fuels, do not have a clear end-of-life. It is true that some parts of renewable energy generators, like solar panels and wind turbines, only last a few decades, though these parts can be replaced and even improved. Renewable energy projects, once established, can continue to use the same land, so decommissioning is mostly about extracting used parts, instead of reclaiming the landscape to a functioning natural environment. Decommissioning of oil and gas projects remains a major concern, more than decommissioning of renewable energy, and as many or more mandatory reclamation security requirements being considered for renewable energy projects should also be applied to the oil and gas industry.

As well, AWA opposes opening up public lands or Crown lands for renewable energy development, particularly in environmentally significant areas. Especially as landscapes most often proposed for renewable energy development, usually grassland and parkland, already have poor protection, and Crown land holds some of the few remaining areas of these native habitats. Native ecosystems and wildlife habitat must be avoided in renewable energy development. AWA believes that policy changes  to siting should focus on prioritizing previously disturbed brownfield sites before allowing renewable energy development on Crown land.

Alberta’s renewable energy policy should be reviewed to have consistent regulation and to minimize environmental damage. However, environmental damage caused by the fossil fuel industry is magnitudes greater than renewable energy generation. Pausing renewable energy project approvals while allowing oil and gas to continue with minimal oversight will only result in more habitat destruction, wildlife loss, carbon emissions, and irreversible environmental damage.