Backgrounder: Phasing Out Alberta's Coal Plants

The document details the environmental and health impacts of Alberta's coal-fired power plants, noting that in 2014, 68% of the province's electricity was generated from coal. It highlights that these plants are significant sources of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, fine particulate matter, mercury, and greenhouse gases, with 2011 emissions totaling 43 megatonnes of GHG. The authors propose a transition plan to reach 0% coal reliance by 2030, increasing renewable energy to 40% and reducing electricity demand through energy efficiency by 20%. The strategy discourages increased reliance on stand-alone natural gas due to production-related GHG emissions and suggests mechanisms for phase-out such as legislated closures, lifespan caps, or carbon pricing.

• Alberta's reliance on coal is significantly higher than other Canadian provinces, generating 68 per cent of its electricity from coal in 2014, and the province increased its coal capacity by 14 per cent between 2002 and 2012.
• In 2011, Alberta's six coal plants were responsible for 44 per cent of man-made mercury releases and approximately 18% of the province's total greenhouse gas emissions, which amounted to 43 megatonnes.
• The authors propose a replacement strategy to phase out coal by 2030, which includes targets to reduce electricity demand by 20% through energy efficiency and increase renewable energy's share of electricity to 40% by 2030.
• The proposed strategy discourages the use of stand-alone natural gas generators due to GHG emissions from production and suggests that any new natural gas generation should be co-generation, combined heat and power, or combined with battery storage.

APA

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (n.d.). Backgrounder: Phasing Out Alberta's Coal Plants. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/CAPE-Partners-Backgrounder-Alberta-Coal-Plants-Phase-out-Strategy-2015.pdf#new_tab

Chicago

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. Backgrounder: Phasing Out Alberta's Coal Plants. n.d. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/CAPE-Partners-Backgrounder-Alberta-Coal-Plants-Phase-out-Strategy-2015.pdf#new_tab.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment |title=Backgrounder: Phasing Out Alberta's Coal Plants |url=https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/CAPE-Partners-Backgrounder-Alberta-Coal-Plants-Phase-out-Strategy-2015.pdf#new_tab |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{canadianassociationofphysiciansfortheenvironmentndbackgrounder, author = {{Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}}, title = {{Backgrounder: Phasing Out Alberta's Coal Plants}}, institution = {Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}, url = {https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/CAPE-Partners-Backgrounder-Alberta-Coal-Plants-Phase-out-Strategy-2015.pdf#new_tab}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }