Alberta is no longer using coal to generate electricity

With the complete transition of the Genesee Generating Station southwest of Edmonton to natural gas, Alberta is done using coal to make power.

“This achievement marks a significant moment in history for this legacy, baseload facility that has delivered reliable and affordable power to Alberta for more than 30 years,” Capital Power’s Canada senior vice president Jason Comandante said in a Tuesday statement.

“Our investment in this facility will result in the most efficient natural gas combined cycle plant in Canada – a feat that significantly reduces emissions while delivering more megawatts of reliable, affordable and clean capacity for our province.”

Two units at Genesee were the last coal assets in Alberta’s electric system.

Electricity production in Alberta from coal fell from about 36 per cent in 2019 to six per cent in 2023.

As of 2021, Alberta was one of four provinces still generating power from coal and accounted for 51 per cent of coal-fuelled power generation in Canada.

In 2015, the New Democratic provincial government mandated coal’s phasing out by 2030.

Now fully fueled by natural gas, Capital Power expects to see a reduction of 3.4 million tonnes of emissions at Genesee annually.