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Continuing the 2021 trend of renewable energy accounting for the largest share of new additions of power generation in Canada, planned wind and solar additions total 5,558 MW in the country, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence data.
Most of the new wind and solar projects are in Alberta, where a deregulated market for surplus power sales and the province's established market for emissions credit valuation and trade have helped drive renewable investment in the province, helping Canada reach its goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.
Canada is expected to add 7,292 MW of capacity in 2022, according to an analysis of Market Intelligence data. Planned retirements total 833 MW.
Some of the expected solar projects coming online are Greengate Power Corp.'s 465-MW Travers Solar Project in December, Solar Krafte Utilities Inc.'s 400-MW Brooks Solar Project expected to come online in November, and China Sinogy Electric Engineering Co. Ltd.'s 150-MW Indus Solar Farm (Calgary Area Solar) expected in June.
All three projects are in Alberta. The bulk of the output of the Greengate facility is under contract to Amazon.com Inc.
Anticipated wind projects include RES Canada Inc.'s 398.5-MW Forty Mile Wind Project expected to be in service in June and Suncor Energy Inc.'s two-unit, 400.5-MW Forty Mile Wind Power Project (Granlea and Maleb) expected to come online in December. Both are in Alberta.
Canada is forecast to see 658 MW of new hydro capacity in 2022 and 982 MW of gas-fired generation, including Enbridge Inc.'s 186-MW Whitetail Peaking Station. Milner Power Inc. is scheduled to complete the conversion of its gas-fired M2 plant from simple-cycle to combined-cycle, increasing its capacity to 300 MW. Both gas plants are in Alberta.
A 406-MW coal-fired unit at TransAlta Corp.'s Sundance plant in Alberta, included in Market Intelligence's total of 591 MW of coal-fired capacity scheduled for retirement in 2022, was converted to operate on natural gas as of the beginning of the year. As a gas-fired unit, it is operating at 113 MW.
The Canadian government announced in June 2021 that it was going to place a moratorium on approving new thermal coal mining and expansion projects due to the potential environmental impact of the fossil fuel.
Storage projects are underway, including TransAlta filing an application with the Alberta Utilities Commission to build a 180-MW battery storage facility called WaterCharger that would be charged by an existing hydroelectric facility.
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