Brian Zinchuk is editor and owner of Pipeline Online
Once again this past weekend, from Dec. 14 to 15, the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) pool price bottomed out at zero dollars per megawatt-hour for a total of 12 hours, according to data publicly available from the AESO.
See the flatline on the bottom of the graph – it truly is a flat line, as in zero dollars, as indicated by the caption. (NOTE: There is a glitch in the AESO’s price reporting graphic being several hours out of sync with the current time. Pipeline Online has informed AESO of this and they are aware of it). AESO
This came in two periods, with three hours of zero dollar pricing on Dec. 14, followed seven hours later by a block of nine hours of zero dollar pricing on Dec. 15. This culminated yet again in 12 hours within a 24 period of zero dollar pricing. The same thing happened on the previous Sunday, Dec. 8, as reported by Pipeline Online.
X account @ReliableAB, which logs and posts AESO data, reported on Sunday afternoon, “Eight hours of $0 pool prices so far today and more on the way this afternoon. We were at 336 hours or 14 days of $0 pool prices year to date last week. In 2023 there were 47 hours of $0 pool price and only 2 in 2022.”
Eight hours of $0 pool prices so far today and more on the way this afternoon.
We were at 336 hours or 14 days of $0 pool prices year to date last week. In 2023 there were 47 hours of $0 pool price and only 2 in 2022. pic.twitter.com/yZ0ZGWfFm2— Reliable AB Energy (@ReliableAB) December 15, 2024
This occurred as wind power generation was performing much better than usual, even though that much better was still just in the 50 to 56 per cent range. Alberta has more than doubled both its wind and solar capacity over the last 36 months, meaning that the substantial swings in output are correspondingly amplified in their impact on the Alberta grid.
At 7:23 a.m., towards the end of the second zero dollar price block, @ReliableAB reported that Alberta was exporting 880 megawatts to British Columbia and 117 megawatts to Montana, totaling just three megawatts shy of a gigawatt of free power to its neighbours. Power exports ranged form 881 megawatts to 1,013 megawatts during the second zero dollar period.
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SaskPower was not able to partake in the free power bonanza yet again, as its sole intertie with Alberta remains down for maintenance for several months. That intertie is not expected to return to normal operation until May 5, 2025. In the past, SaskPower has on occasion been able to cash in on obtaining up to approximately 155 megawatts for nothing.
Unless generators had side deals for things like carbon credits, all Alberta generators getting the pool price were providing that power for free for half a day over the weekend. The entire Alberta grid, ever refinery, factory, hospital, streetlamp, home, refinery and video billboard, in a territory the size of Germany, was cumulatively once again provided with power for less than the price of one, singular, Timbit.
At that time, wind was again the largest variable, with wind output at 54.6 per cent capacity, producing 3000 megawatts out of a nameplate of 5,496. And since it was still dark out, solar was at zero.
At this moment 69.2% of Alberta's electricity is being produced by fossil fuels. Wind is at 54.6% of capacity and producing 26.1% of total generation, while solar is at 0% of capacity and producing 0% of total generation. At the same time, we are exporting 997 MW, which is 8.7%… pic.twitter.com/3zLtTgaRFp
— Reliable AB Energy (@ReliableAB) December 15, 2024
This past weekend was again a repeat of the pattern where strong output of wind, in particular, results in zero dollar pricing and exports of massive amounts of power for minimal, or zero dollars. But when wind output flatlines, Alberta will frequently import power at some of the highest prices, often into the several hundreds of dollars per megawatt. It was once again a case of Alberta selling low, when it often buys high.
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BC wind developments
The sell low, buy high relationship with British Columbia may change in the next few years, however, as BC announced its intention to dramatically build out wind generation in that province through independent power producers. Those projects add up to 1,331 megawatts of grid-scale wind power generation. For comparison, Saskatchewan currently has 817 megawatts of grid-scale wind nameplate capacity.
Notably, BC plants to ” exempt wind projects from environmental assessment processes” in an effort to aid in the development of these projects.
Also, like Saskatchewan, BC Hydro is strongly encouraging Indigenous participation in the ownership of these nine wind project. “BC Hydro engaged extensively with First Nations on the design of the call for power, and included a requirement that projects must have a minimum 25% equity ownership held by First Nations. Eight of the nine successful energy projects will have 51% equity ownership,” The BC government press release said. In comparison, the recent Bekevar Wind Facility project near Kipling, Saskatchewan, had a 17 per cent ownership stake for Cowessess First Nation.
Also of note, there’s a small Saskatchewan link in the BC plan. One of the nine BC projects is being developed by EDF Renewables, the original proponent for the Weyburn wind project which sold that project to Enbridge and five Indigenous bands and the Metis Nation of Saskatchewan. That project is the Taylor Wind Project, a 200 megawatt project in the Peace River region of northeast BC. EDF Renewables is part of Électricité de France SA, the French power giant that operates that nation’s nuclear power station fleet.
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