WikiLeaks reveal Alberta power plans

Alberta Oil Sands Power Exports hinge on transmission lines, U.S. grid access, and Pacific Northwest capacity, as diplomatic cables, surplus electricity from oil sands operations, and a proposed north-south line raise ratepayer concerns.

Internal U.S. documents published by WikiLeaks are raising questions about whether the Alberta government plans to export electricity to the United States.

The leaked internal U.S. diplomatic cables reveal that Murray Smith, Alberta's former energy minister, told U.S. officials in 2003 that excess electricity generated for oil sands operations could be made available for power exports to U.S. grids.

According to the documents, Smith said Alberta lacked the transmission lines needed to export the power to the United States.

"But at least for now there is limited capacity to move this west and then south through British Columbia and on to our Pacific Northwest, as energy board reports indicate in recent filings," the cable notes.

"There is almost no capacity to move it south into the U.S. Rocky Mountain states and markets further afield."

Opposition parties say a proposed multi-billion dollar north-south transmission line will be used to export that power, amid a U.S. bank bid for Alberta power, even though the Stelmach government has denied it.

"There's nothing necessarily wrong with exporting surplus power to the United States," NDP Leader Brian Mason said.

"But by hiding it, they're proceeding with a policy that will require Albertans through their electricity bill to pay for this transmission infrastructure, despite cost hike warnings from experts, which is worth billions and billions of dollars."

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