A new Macdonald-Laurier Institute report warns Canada’s long-standing advantage of cheap, abundant electricity is slipping. Production peaked in 2017-demand held flat for two decades by efficiency gains and offshoring-but AI data centers now drive rapid, unprecedented growth.
Alberta hosts over 6,000MW of renewables-mostly replacing coal-but faces curtailment and insufficient transmission. Natural gas remains the default backup; hydro is scarce, and nuclear deployment remains a decade away.
The province passed 2025 utility legislation aiming to modernize reliability and investment incentives-but implementation won’t begin until 2027, creating regulatory uncertainty. Minister Nathan Neudorf insists Bill 8 blocks AI facilities from overloading the grid: they must supply their own power.
A nuclear advisory panel is holding town halls and collecting public input ahead of its March 31, 2026 final report to Neudorf.