HOW TO SUPERCHARGE CANADA’S CLEAN ELECTRICITY ADVANTAGE

The report finds that Canadian provinces are generally underplanning for industrial electricity demand and lagging in system flexibility and transmission build-out compared to international peers. While hydro-led provinces like Quebec and British Columbia have inherent flexibility advantages, non-hydro jurisdictions like Alberta and Ontario need to proactively build capacity. The report recommends that the federal government support interprovincial energy planning, deploy the national balance sheet for anticipatory grid build-out, implement flexible Clean Electricity Regulations, and prioritize system flexibility in federal programs.

• Most Canadian provinces are underplanning for industrial electricity growth, with regulatory frameworks designed to prevent overbuilding rather than accounting for the economic costs of underbuilding. Even if only 50% of current industrial grid connection requests proceed, most provinces will face significant gaps in their electricity plans.
• Canada's hydro-led jurisdictions, specifically British Columbia and Quebec, possess a competitive advantage in system flexibility due to reservoirs that can balance supply and demand across various timescales. In contrast, non-hydro jurisdictions like Alberta and Ontario must proactively build flexibility through batteries and grid connections, a trend where international peers are currently outpacing Canada.
• Transmission investment in some Canadian provinces is lagging, which risks wasting electricity (curtailment) as shares of wind and solar grow. In Alberta, transmission has not kept pace with the addition of wind and solar resources.
• There are significant opportunities to improve electricity procurement and market access. While Alberta's market-led system offers natural advantages for access, British Columbia and Quebec would benefit from more predictable, long-term competitive procurement schedules.
• Canadian provinces are currently ahead of many international peers in using industrial demand flexibility tools to reduce peak demand, though there is still untapped potential. Quebec, Ontario, and Alberta already employ these tools more extensively than many international comparators.
• Climate policy certainty varies across Canada, with hydro-rich provinces like British Columbia and Quebec offering more durable signals through legislation. Alberta's recent agreement with the federal government may improve long-term certainty for carbon pricing but could weaken incentives for electrification.

APA

Canadian Climate Institute (2026). HOW TO SUPERCHARGE CANADA’S CLEAN ELECTRICITY ADVANTAGE. https://climateinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Power-Play-report-Canadian-Climate-Institute.pdf

Chicago

Canadian Climate Institute. HOW TO SUPERCHARGE CANADA’S CLEAN ELECTRICITY ADVANTAGE. 2026. https://climateinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Power-Play-report-Canadian-Climate-Institute.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Canadian Climate Institute |title=HOW TO SUPERCHARGE CANADA’S CLEAN ELECTRICITY ADVANTAGE |date=June 2026 |url=https://climateinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Power-Play-report-Canadian-Climate-Institute.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{canadianclimateinstitute2026how, author = {{Canadian Climate Institute}}, title = {{HOW TO SUPERCHARGE CANADA’S CLEAN ELECTRICITY ADVANTAGE}}, institution = {Canadian Climate Institute}, year = {2026}, month = jun, url = {https://climateinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Power-Play-report-Canadian-Climate-Institute.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }