Alberta’s Electricity Market Overhaul: A Costly Mistake?

This week our guest is Duane Reid-Carlson, President of EDC Associates Ltd., an independent electricity-focused consulting firm based in Calgary, Canada. The firm focuses closely on Alberta power markets. 

EDC recently published its quarterly report and had some critical words about the government's proposed changes for Alberta’s electricity market – called the Restructured Energy Market (REM) - describing it as a “highly complex, expensive, inefficient experiment.” The same sentiment was reflected by almost all the 36 organizations that participated in the Alberta Electricity System Operator (AESO)’s feedback process in early 2025. Stakeholders were nearly unanimous in their comments that the changes will make Alberta’s electricity markets more expensive and less reliable – the exact attributes the redesign promised to fix. The sharp criticism spans all industry segments – from natural gas generators and renewable energy developers to consumers and transmission companies. 

Participants also raised the issue of the AESO skipping the regulatory review from the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC), which provides an independent review by a regulatory body as a safeguard to prevent any unintended negative consequences from the redesign.   

Peter and Jackie examine the concerns and potential long-term negative implications for Alberta’s electricity grid, generators, and consumers with Duane Reid-Carlson. 

Content referenced in this podcast: 

• Stakeholder submissions to the AESO on the Restructured Energy Market (REM) design, January 2025 

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