Why can’t we have an independent hearing?
As an Albertan who will be forced to pay for the Heartland transmission lines (like all of us will), I would like to see the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) get a chance to fulfil its role and do an independent study on the need for these lines.
If there is such a clear need for the Heartland line, then Neil Brausen and the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) should make their case in an AUC hearing. The reason that AESO will not do so is because there is no need for this line. The Heartland line is a massive overbuild; it is designed to service a very small area of the province yet AESO has designed it to carry 6,000 megawatts, even though our total provincial consumption averages around 8,000 megawatts. You can check this yourself — just Google “AESO market reports.”
Several independent reviews have been done about AESO’s assumptions and predictions. In every case, the reviews have found that AESO has significantly overstated the amount of transmission upgrade needed. These same studies have found that our electricity bills will triple or quadruple. Alberta already has the highest electricity costs in Canada; tripling these costs will hurt industry and businesses that will have no choice but to relocate to lower cost provinces or other countries. This will take jobs away from Albertans and Albertans will be paying for these lines.
Our transmission system is in good shape. When you review the AESO website it reveals that regular maintenance and upgrades have been performed to our existing transmission system on a regular basis for decades.
AESO needs to stop its fear mongering and the Ed Stelmach government needs to reinstate the AUC’s role as a check and balance against extravagant spending by utility companies, all of which occurs at the cost of Albertans, businesses and the competitiveness of our economy.
D. Pelletier, Sturgeon County
