(Ottawa) Alberta, rich in oil and gas, announced on Wednesday that it was imposing very strict rules regarding new renewable energy projects, deemed “unreliable”.
Last year, the province, led by a conservative premier, had already temporarily halted the approval of new major projects while it assessed their reliability and their impact on the landscape and the electricity network.
Danielle Smith, Premier of Alberta, clarified that new projects will no longer be allowed on prime agricultural land and that a 35-kilometer buffer zone will also be put in place around certain landscapes.
“We must ensure that we do not sacrifice our future agricultural yields, tourism dollars or breathtaking landscapes to accelerate the development of renewable energy,” said Ms.me Smith, calling them “intermittent and unreliable.”
PHOTO CHRIS HELGREN, REUTERS ARCHIVES
Danielle Smith, Premier of Alberta
Alberta produces more than 80% of Canada’s total oil production, notably through the exploitation of tar sands.
The province, like its neighbor Saskatchewan, opposes the climate policies implemented in recent years by the Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Alberta has notably entered into a standoff with the government over the Canadian bill aimed at a “clean” electricity network by 2035.
To oppose the federal government, the province used for the first time its Sovereignty Act which allows its provincial government to ignore federal laws it deems harmful.