Mercury plunges; power consumption soars
"The heaviest demand for electricity in Alberta typically occurs during the winter," says Warren Frost, Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) vice-president of Operations and Reliability. "A prolonged cold snap, reduced daylight hours and increased lighting are all factors that combine to push demand to record levels."
The AESO's system controllers monitor the electricity grid 24 hours per day, seven days per week, working collaboratively with transmission facility owners and power generation owners to ensure that even during times of high demand, contingency plans are in place and reserves available to meet the electricity demands of all Albertans.
Electricity consumption in Alberta has grown by 29% since 2000 with a year over year average load growth of 3.2% each year for the last five years. The AESO estimates an additional 5000 MW of electricity supply by 2017 and 11,500 MW by 2027 will be required to meet the growing electricity demands of Albertans.
Related News

US nuclear innovation act becomes law
WASHINGTON - Bipartisan legislation modernising US nuclear regulation and supporting the establishment of a licensing framework for next-generation advanced reactors has been signed by US President Donald Trump. The Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernisation Act (NEIMA) became law on 14 January.
As well as directing the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to modify the licensing process for commercial advanced nuclear reactor facilities, the bill establishes new transparency and accountability measures to the regulator's budget and fee programmes, and caps fees for existing reactors. It also directs the NRC to look at ways of improving the efficiency of uranium licensing, including investigating the…