'For the First Time In More Than 150 Years, Alberta's Electricity Is Coal Free'

Alberta's last coal plant went offline on June 16, marking the end of coal-fired electricity in the province. 'So, for the first time in 150 years, coal is no longer part of Alberta's electricity mix,' writes Chris Severson-Baker in an opinion piece for The Globe and Mail. 'It is important to celebrate and reflect on these milestones, while recognizing there is no time to rest before redoubling our efforts and looking to what's next.' From the report: Many organizations contributed to this successful campaign through advocacy and research. The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, the Lung Association and the Asthma Society of Canada were instrumental in highlighting the health impacts associated with air pollution from coal-fired electricity. The Pembina Institute, an Alberta-based clean-energy think tank, first intervened in a coal plant regulatory process in the late 1990s and, in 2009, published the first major proposal that showed the province could move to an unabated coal-free grid by 2030. Our research was ahead of its time and criticized as idealistic.

Coal accounted for 80 per cent of Alberta's electricity grid in the early 2000s and it still amounted to 60 per cent just 10 years ago. When phasing out coal was just an idea being batted around, many said it couldn't be done. This is not dissimilar to the rhetoric today around decarbonizing the grid. But Alberta's experience phasing out coal shows environmental progress of this magnitude is possible. Phasing out coal in Alberta was supported by good policy design driven by carbon pricing and regulations with clear targets that offered necessary certainty to the industry and stakeholders. Rapidly growing, low-cost renewable energy further supported the phase-out, along with companies investing in gas-fired electricity. All these actions accelerated the transition away from coal at a faster rate than anticipated. Chris Severson-Baker is the executive director of the Pembina Institute, a Canadian non-profit think tank focused on advancing clean energy solutions and sustainable environmental practices through research, advocacy, and collaboration.

Further reading: Air Pollution Can Decrease Odds of Live Birth After IVF By 38%, Study Finds

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