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Alberta issues solicitation for 700 MW of renewables

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Alberta issues solicitation for 700 MW of renewables

Alberta's grid operator will seek bids for 700 MW of renewable power from new plants, with 300 MW of that total to come from projects allied with indigenous groups.

The Alberta Electric System Operator has set the end of March as its planned deadline for expressions of interest in the programs and plans to award contracts by the end of 2018, according to a Feb. 5 posting on its website. Eligible projects must have a capacity greater than 5 MW and be able to connect to existing transmission and distribution systems. To qualify for the indigenous solicitation, projects must have an equity component which can include a community ownership stake or a land use agreement between the power plant operator and community.

The latest call for bids comes after the province announced contracts for 600 MW of renewable energy capacity valued at about C$1 billion in December 2017. Successful bidders in that round included Capital Power Corp., EDP Renewables Canada Ltd. and Enel Green Power North America. The solicitation netted a weighted average price of 3.7 Canadian cents per kWh.

"Indigenous communities have had a leading role in developing green energy on a smaller scale," Alberta Energy Minister Margret McCuaig-Boyd said in a separate Feb. 5 statement. The new program "will help support larger, utility-scale projects while creating good jobs and economic benefits for Indigenous Albertans," she said.

Alberta plans to shutter the large coal-fired generators that provide the bulk of its baseload generation by 2030. A provincial levy on greenhouse gas emissions has prompted some coal-plant operators, including TransAlta Corp. and ATCO Ltd., to convert some generators to natural gas fueling ahead of the deadline. Alberta plans to get 30% of its power, or about 5,000 MW, from renewables by 2030.