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Appendix B: Timeline of the Energy Industry in Alberta ☆

Cesar A. Poveda (University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada)

Sustainability Assessment

ISBN: 978-1-78743-482-0, eISBN: 978-1-78743-481-3

Publication date: 10 October 2017

pdf (157 KB) ePub (757 KB) Article view Figure view Cited (14) cite article

Citation

Poveda, C.A. (2017), "Appendix B: Timeline of the Energy Industry in Alberta ☆ ", Sustainability Assessment, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 403-427. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-78743-481-320171027

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2017 Emerald Publishing Limited

Initial Note
The presence of hydrocarbons in Alberta dates back millions of years; however, the earliest recorded use of bitumen occurred about 300 years ago, and hydrocarbons were first used to generate energy in Alberta over a century ago.
Pre-1715
560 million years B.C. – Plants absorbed solar energy and used it to convert carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and carbohydrates such as sugar, starch and cellulose; these carbohydrates and other organic materials eventually settled on the ground and in streams, lakes, and sea beds and, as they became more deeply buried, were transformed by heat and pressure into solid, liquid or gaseous hydrocarbons known as fossil fuels.
From 1715 to 1899
Year Event
1715 The first known reference to the Athabasca oil sands was made by Captain Swan, a Cree chief acting as a middleman between the native hunters of the West and the fur factories of Hudson Bay. Swan told Governor James Knight in council at York Fort in 1715 about a river feeding the Churchill River where he found ‘Gum or pitch’. In 1719 Swan returned to York Fort, where Henry Kelsey had replaced Knight as governor. He gave Kelsey a sample of ‘that Gum or pitch that flows out of the Banks of that River’.
1788 Alexander Mackenzie wrote of bituminous seeps among Alberta’s Athabasca tar sands, into which a six-metre pole could be inserted ‘without the least resistance’.
1792 Coal was discovered in Alberta by fur trader, explorer, surveyor and mapmaker Peter Fidler with the Hudson’s Bay Company. He made the discovery near Drumheller.
1807 Coal gas was first used to light streetlamps in London, England.
1821 Natural gas was piped through hollow logs to Fredonia, New York.
1836 Coal gas was first used in streetlamps in Montreal, Québec.
1841 Coal gas was first used in streetlamps in Toronto, Ontario.
1842 Geological Survey of Canada was established to explore for coal and other minerals.
1854 Abraham Gesner of Halifax, Nova Scotia, opened a plant in New York to convert coal into kerosene, a new synthetic lamp oil (which replaced whale oil), using his patented process of fractional distillation.
1855 American chemist, Benjamin Silliman, applied fractional distillation to Pennsylvania rock oil (crude oil) and discovered it produces high-quality lamp oil (kerosene).
1859 Natural gas was discovered in New Brunswick.
1860s Entrepreneurs established small, primitive oil refineries in Ontario, eastern Europe, and the U.S.
1866 James Miller Williams of Hamilton, Ontario, created the world’s first vertically integrated oil company, combining all aspects of the business from exploration to retail sales into one company.
1866 Natural gas was discovered in south-western Ontario.
1870s Chemical engineer, Herman Frasch, invented a process to extract sulphur compounds from oil using copper oxide powder; until then, the foul smell of sulphur had prevented oil from being widely used as fuel.
1874 Development of the first coal powered electricity generators near present-day Lethbridge, Alberta.
1875 Geological Survey of Canada investigated Athabasca oil sands.
1880 Sixteen producing and refining companies in Ontario merged to form the Imperial Oil Company.
1883 Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) crew drilling for water accidentally discovered natural gas 55 km northwest of Medicine Hat, Alberta. The name of the site at the time was Langevin Siding. By 1910 it was called Carlstadt, and after World War I, the name was changed again to Alderson.
1883 Canada’s first single phase AC generators were commissioned in Calgary, Alberta, by the Bow River Lumber Company and in Ottawa, Ontario, at Chaudiere Electric.
1884 A second well was drilled just a few metres from the Langevin Siding site, which produced enough gas to light and heat several buildings.
1886 The Geological Survey of Canada collected natural gas information and presented a paper, entitled On Certain Borings in Manitoba and the Northwest Territory, to the Royal Society of Canada. Of course, there was no reference to Alberta, since Alberta did not become a province until 1905.
1887 The No. 1 Mine began coal production in Canmore, Alberta. Mining at Canmore continued until 1979.
1889 Drilling for natural gas began in south-western Ontario.
1890 Natural gas well was drilled at Niagara Falls, Ontario, and began exporting gas to Buffalo, New York.
1890s Several more natural gas wells were drilled in the Medicine Hat area, producing gas for homes and factories.
1891 The Canadian Electrical Association was formed to represent the industry.
1891 Edmonton Electric Lighting and Power Company was founded and received approval to build a coal-fired generating plant on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River. (Source: Edmonton Power Historical Foundation)
1893 Parliament passed bill authorising funds for Geological Survey of Canada to investigate Athabasca oil sands as a source of petroleum.
1893 The first hydro-generator in Alberta was built on the Bow River. (Source: Centre for Energy)
1894 Drilling began at Athabasca oil sands; crews struck a reservoir of natural gas which blows wild for 21 years.
1895 Natural gas from Ontario was piped to Windsor, Ontario, and across the river to Detroit, Michigan.
1898 Imperial Oil’s refinery operations consolidated at Sarnia, Ontario.
1900s
Year Event
1901 As known natural gas supplies dwindled, Ontario government banned exports to U.S.
1901 Medicine Hat (300 km southeast of Calgary) developed its own gas utility.
1902 Edmonton Electric Lighting and Power Company was purchased by Edmonton, becoming the first municipally owned electric utility in Canada. (Source: Edmonton Power Historical Foundation)
1905 Alberta was proclaimed a province on 1 September 1905. The province was named after Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria. The inauguration ceremony featured an address by Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier. Approximately 12,000 Albertans were in attendance to witness the ceremony.
1908–1909 ‘Old Glory’ was the name of the first major discovery. Development of the Bow Island gas field led to the first pipelines delivering natural gas to Alberta communities.
1909 Calgary Power was formed. Later renamed TransAlta, the company developed into Canada’s largest investor-owned utility.
1910s
Year Event
1911 Following British decision to convert Royal Navy ships from coal to bunker oil, the Canadian government urged industry to find and develop domestic oil supplies.
1911 Martin Nordegg opened the largest mine in Alberta and created a model town that bears his name to this day. In 1923, Nordegg produced the largest amount of coal of all the mines in Alberta.
1911 Calgary Power built the first large-scale hydro plant in Alberta, the run-of-river Horseshoe Falls hydro plant. (Source: TransAlta)
1912 270-km pipeline began carrying natural gas from Bow Island, Alberta, to Calgary to replace coal gas as a heating, lighting and cooking fuel. The 16-inch (40 cm) pipeline was complete in just 86 days.
1914–1918 First World War established oil as a key strategic commodity.
1914 May 14 was a victorious day for Arthur W. Dingman as he and his associates savoured the fruits of their risk-taking with a natural gas discovery at Turner Valley, Alberta, on the edge of Kananaskis Country.
1915 Sydney Ells demonstrated the first commercial use of oil sands. In 1915, he shipped several tonnes of Athabasca oil sands by water, sleigh and rail to Edmonton for a road-paving experiment.
1915 The Public Utilities Board (PUB) became Alberta’s first regulatory agency with the primary responsibility of regulating utility rates and service. At this time in Alberta’s history, since utility service was limited, the PUB had extended jurisdiction over a broad range of other matters, including the cancellation of subdivision plans, the approval of utility franchise agreements, the regulation of the sale of shares and securities within the province, the approval of tariffs for provincial railways and the approval of highway crossings by railway branch lines. Alberta Government Telephones (AGT), which was Alberta’s only telecommunications company at the time, also applied to the PUB for its rates.
1917 The Soldier Settlement Board (SSB) came into being with the mandate to provide land for returning war veterans. The veteran would acquire title to the surface, but the minerals were reserved in the SSB name and administered by the Government of Canada.
1920s
Year Event
1920 Oil was discovered at Norman Wells, Northwest Territories.
1923 Edmonton switched to natural gas for heating, lighting and cooking following completion of 130-km pipeline from Viking, Alberta.
1924 The discovery of a decade earlier led the way to a deeper-zone find just a few kilometres away. Royalite No. 4 put Turner Valley on the oil and gas map.
1926 Dr. Karl Clark, chemist and oil sands researcher, perfected a hot water separation process while working for the Research Council of Alberta and the University of Alberta. It became the basis of today’s thermal extraction process.
1927 R. C. Fitzsimmons formed the International Bitumen Company and built a small-scale pilot plant near Bitumount, Alberta, 80 km north of Fort McMurray.
1930s
Year Event
1930 Under the Natural Resources Transfer Agreement, the Dominion of Canada transferred mineral rights to the province of Alberta, granting the province rights to all minerals, oil and natural gas. Approximately 81% of the subsurface mineral rights are owned by the province.
1930 Alberta Department of Lands and Mines was established.
1931 First Alberta Royalty Regulation.
1932 The Turner Valley Conservation Board was established.
1933 In 1933, the falling price of milk was affecting the profitability and viability of milk producers in Alberta. In an effort to provide price stability, the Government of Alberta declared milk a public utility. The Public Utilities Commission (renamed the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) in 2008) began setting the minimum price that milk producers would receive (the wholesale price). The Commission was also put in charge of licensing and regulating milk producers and distributors. In 1969, the Government of Alberta created the Alberta Milk Control Board, and while the AUC’s jurisdiction over the regulation of milk production was surrendered to the Board, it continued to set minimum wholesale prices. In 1991, the Government of Alberta deregulated the minimum retail price of milk.
1934 The first natural gas export license was issued by the federal department of Trade and Commerce.
1934–1935 After more than 50 years of production, the second oil well to be discovered in Alberta was closed off (abandoned) with a few wheelbarrows of cement. The closing off process was still in its infancy and abandonment operations continued until 1954.
1936 Nylon, the first plastic made from petroleum products, was invented.
1936 Under the Fuel Oil Licencing Act, Alberta’s 1000 fuel dealers were required to obtain a licence from the Public Utilities Board.
1936 Oil leg was discovered in the Mississippian zone at Turner Valley.
1936 Rotary drilling rigs indicated existence of oil at greater depths than oil found in earlier discoveries.
1938 The Petroleum and Natural Gas conservation Board became the Energy Utilities Board (EUB), then the Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB), on 17 June 2013, the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) took over to provide full-lifecycle regulatory oversight of energy resource development in Alberta.
1940s
Year Event
1941 Alberta shifted the royalty rates on oil from a flat rate of 10.0% to a choice of a 12.5% flat rate or a 5–15% royalty based on production levels.
1943 Pipeline built from Portland, Maine, to refineries in Montreal to overcome wartime danger to East Coast tanker traffic.
1943–1945 Canada’s first offshore oil well drilled from artificial island off Prince Edward Island, to a depth of 4500 m and a cost of $1.25 million; no commercial qualities of oil or gas were found.
1944 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed the Canol Pipeline, an expensive but short-lived pipeline system carrying crude oil from Norman Wells to a new refinery at Whitehorse, Yukon, and refined oil products to Fairbanks and Skagway, Alaska.
1947 After drilling 133 dry holes across Western Canada, Imperial Oil struck oil at Leduc, Alberta, on February 13, transforming Canada into an oil-rich nation.
1948 Imperial Leduc No. 2 found oil in the Devonian reef, which formed during the Devonian period, the ‘Age of Fishes’ (395 to 345 million years ago); until this discovery, oilmen believed oil from that time period could not be found. The town of Devon, Alberta, is named after this event.
1948 The Alberta royalty rate was capped at 16.66%.
1949 Alberta Department of Lands and Mines was succeeded by two new departments: Lands and Forests, and Mines and Minerals.
1950s
Year Event
1950 Oil replaced coal as Canada’s largest single source of energy; pipelines established to transport natural gas to Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto and Montreal.
1950 Detonation of underground atomic explosive device proposed to melt Athabasca oil sands bitumen to aid commercial development; federal government denied approval.
1951 A sliding scale was established in Alberta Royalty Regulations.
1950–1953 First section of the Interprovincial Pipe Line Inc. (now Enbridge Pipelines Inc.) oil pipeline laid from Edmonton to Superior, Wisconsin, in 1953, and was extended to Sarnia, Ontario.
1952 First sulphur recovery plant built in Alberta for sour gas (natural gas).
1953 Trans Mountain Pipeline Company line was completed from Edmonton to Vancouver.
1954 The Alberta Gas Trunk Line Company Limited (AGTL) (now called NOVA Gas Transmission Ltd.) was created to build and operate a province-wide natural gas transportation system. In 1957, Alberta gas began to flow through the AGTL (NOVA) system.
1955 Edmonton Electric Lighting and Power Company’s Rossdale plant switched from coal to natural gas.
1955 Western Canada’s Oil & Gas industry invested more than $0.5 million in development. (Source: Oilpatch History)
1957 First gas exported by the Westcoast Energy Inc. pipeline system through Vancouver to U.S. markets.
1958 Construction of the TransCanada Pipelines system was completed from Alberta to eastern Canada.
1958 Entwistle resident, Einar Opdahl, found a diamond on the banks of the Pembina River. The diamond weighed 0.83 carats and was sold for $500.
1959 National Energy Board was created by the federal government to oversee interprovincial and international energy trade.
1960s
Year Event
1960 The Gas Utilities Act was introduced, and it is still a major part of legislation currently governing the jurisdiction of the ERCB. In the 1960s, urbanisation and industrialisation increased the number of utility customers by 62%.
1961 Alberta established air quality standards that included limits on industrial emissions of hydrogen sulphide and sulphur dioxide.
1961 National Oil Policy directed that all refineries west of the Ottawa Valley must use higher priced crude from western Canada.
1961 The Pacific Gas Transmission pipeline (now called Gas Transmission Northwest) was built to deliver Alberta gas to customers in the United States. Pacific Northwest and California.
1965 Around the middle of the 1960s Cyclic Steam Stimulation (CSS) was piloted in the Clearwater Formation; it proved to be the key to unlocking bitumen.
1967 Great Canadian Oil Sands, now part of Suncor energy Ltd., initiated the world’s first large-scale oil sands operation, the Athabasca oil sands at Fort McMurray. Total production in 1967 reached about 2500 barrels per day.
1970s
Year Event
1970s Natural gas and oil deposits were found off the coast of Nova Scotia.
1970s Dr. Roger M. Butler developed the concept of using horizontal pairs of wells and injected steam to develop certain deposits of bitumen considered too deep for mining. Cyclic steam injection (CCS) was the previous process, but his invention of Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) technology paved the way for scores of in situ projects, changing the oil sands industry. (Source: Canadian Petroleum hall of fame)
1970 The Board of Arbitration was formed to handle expropriations formerly under the jurisdiction of the Public Utilities Board. The Board of Arbitration is now the Surface Rights Board.
1970 Edmonton’s electrical distribution and power plant departments merged and became known as Edmonton Power; construction then began in its Clover Bar generating station. (Source: EPCOR)
1972 Alberta proposed a mineral tax assessment on remaining recoverable crude oil reserves at fair value with no change in the existing royalty structure, it also included an Exploratory Drilling incentive system. Changes were to take effect in January 1973. (Source: Oilpatch History)
1972 Federal and B.C. governments imposed moratorium on West Coast offshore oil and gas exploration.
1973 Arab oil embargo set off first global energy crisis. To initiate a capital investment program and to lessen the dependence on foreign oil, the Alberta Energy Company Ltd. was created. It would later merge with PanCanadian Energy Corporation to create Encana.
1973 Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau decreed ‘made in Canada’ crude oil prices.
1973 Alberta implemented a price sensitive royalty regime. Prior to that, royalties were paid at a fixed rate.
1973 The Alberta Petroleum Marketing Act created the Alberta Petroleum Marketing Commission (APMC).
1974 The Natural Gas Price Protection Plan was introduced. The Public Utilities Board’s role in the plan, which was aimed toward sheltering Alberta consumers from increasing world market prices for natural gas, was set out in the Natural Gas Rebate Act. Under the Act, the Board was required to issue certificates qualifying utilities to receive provincial rebates.
1974 The Petroleum Royalty Regulation allowed rebates for eligible costs of injection materials for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) schemes.
1974 Natural gas production in Alberta has only two vintages: old, discovered before 1974, and new, discovered after 1973.
1974 The Alberta Petroleum Marketing Commission (APMC) was created by the Petroleum Marketing Act; the Commission is the provincial Crown corporation responsible for selling the conventional crude that the Alberta government receives in lieu of cash royalties. The main objective of taking in-kind is to maximise the value of the Crown’s royalties. The Crown Marketing agents are contracted to sell the Crown royalty share along with their own production, thus ensuring a competitive market price is received for the sales of these volumes.
1974 The Alberta Oil Sands Technology and Research Authority (AOSTRA) was formed for promotion of the development of new technologies for oil sands and heavy-oil production.
1974 Oil and natural gas pools were classified by ‘vintage’ for royalty calculation purposes. Vintage refers to the date of discovery of the oil or gas pool from which production occurs. Royalty rates for production from newly discovered pools are set lower to reflect the higher average finding and development costs associated with newer smaller pools.
1974 Letters exchanged regarding resources issue between Premier Peter Lougheed and Prime Minister Trudeau. (Source: Oilpatch History)
1975 Alberta Department of Energy and Natural Resources was created by merging two existing departments: Lands and Forests, and Mines and Minerals.
1975 Natural gas prices in Canada became regulated under Federal-Provincial agreement.
1978 Syncrude Canada Ltd., a consortium of oil companies and the federal and provincial governments, opened an oil sands mining and upgrading project at Fort McMurray. This effort, combined with the Great Canadian Oil Sands (Suncor Energy Ltd.) operation that began in 1967, increased the total mined bitumen in the province to over 90,000 barrels per day.
1978 The United States began the process of natural gas deregulation.
1979 Alberta’s first ethylene plant was officially opened at Joffre. A second ethylene plant and a polyethylene plant began production in 1984.
1979 First large oil discoveries were made at the Hibernia field off Newfoundland.
1979 Canadian oil industry converted to metric system.
1980s
Year Event
1980s First permanent buried pipeline completed in the Canadian Arctic to carry light crude oil from Norman Wells to Alberta.
1980 Medicine Hat, Alberta, replaced coal-fired steam units with Canada’s first gas turbine, combined cycle cogeneration system. (Source: Centre for Energy)
1980 In October, the National Energy Program (NEP) reinforced the 1973 made-in-Canada price policy. The NEP sought to achieve three objectives: (1) energy security, by which was meant oil self-sufficiency; (2) a redistribution of wealth toward the federal government and consumers and (3) a greater Canadian ownership of the oil industry. Many Albertans thought the NEP was an intrusion on provincial rights since resources are owned by the provinces. However, it passed a large benefit to central Canada and led to a significant number of companies and jobs leaving Alberta. (Source: Alberta Online Encyclopaedia) The NEP ended with the 1984 election.
1980 The Constitution Act gave each province the exclusive right to make laws in relation to the development, conservation and management of natural gas in the province.
1981 Calgary Power changed its name to TransAlta Utilities. (Source: TransAlta)
1982 The Alberta government created the Electric Energy Marketing Agency. The Public Utilities Board was required to set the price at which utilities would sell electric energy to the Electric Energy Marketing Agency. The aim in doing so was to achieve a measure of equalisation of electrical rates by averaging the price of generation and transmission across the province.
1982 The Petroleum Incentives Program Act was implemented to encourage development of oil and gas in Alberta following the 1980 National Energy Program. (Source: Canada’s Petroleum Heritage)
1982–1986 OPEC attempted to set production quotas low enough to stabilise prices. These attempts were met with repeated failure as various members of OPEC produced beyond their quotas. During most of this period Saudi Arabia acted as the swing producer cutting its production in an attempt to stem the free fall in prices. In August of 1985, the Saudis linked their oil price to the spot market for crude and by early 1986 increased production from 2 to 5 MMBPD. Crude oil prices plummeted below $10 per barrel by mid-1986. Despite the fall in prices Saudi revenue remained consistent with higher volumes compensating for lower prices. (Source: West Texas Research Group)
1983 The oil and gas servicing incentive program regulation was introduced, which authorised the Minister to offer grants for eligible well servicing, costs of wells, batteries and pipelines.
1984–1985 The Progressive Conservative government under Prime Minister Brian Mulroney replaced the Liberal government and signed the Western Energy Accord in 1985 that eliminated the National Energy Program.
1985 Federal government deregulated oil prices, opening Canada’s borders to imports and exports.
1985 Oil Royalty holiday programs were introduced to reward successful explorers where previous grant-oriented programs only favoured activity.
1985 Commercial production began at Imperial’s Cold Lake cyclic steam injection project. This new method involved injecting high-pressure steam into the bitumen in order to soften and separate it from the sand.
1985–1986 Federal government and East Coast petroleum-producing provinces reached agreements to jointly manage offshore oil and gas resources.
1985 Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and the federal government signed the Agreement on Natural Gas Markets and Prices, which began the process of natural gas price deregulation in Canada.
1985 After 70 years of production, the Turner Valley Gas Plant was shut down. It is now a provincial and national historic site.
1986 The price of natural gas was deregulated by a federal-provincial agreement; the provincial government allowed the Natural Gas Protection Plan to expire, in light of the decline in natural gas prices which occurred after deregulation.
1986 Alberta Department of Energy and Natural Resources was succeeded by two new departments: Energy, and Forestry, Lands, & Wildlife.
1988 Alberta Energy published a monthly Alberta Average Market Price (AMP) for natural gas/residue gas. The AMP was given in units of $/1000 m3 and $/GJ. The AMP in $/1000 m3 was used in the royalty rate formula to calculate the Crown’s royalty volumes. The AMP in $/GJ was used in the valuation price test. This test specified that the minimum valuation price that may be applied to the Crown’s royalty share of production was 80% of the AMP ($/GJ) in effect during the month of sale. The AMP was effective for the production years 1988–1993.
1989 Genesee 2, using coal-fired steam turbine equipment, was the first Genesee generation unit to be completed. Its capacity was 410 megawatts.
1990s
Year Event
1990 Canadian refiners eliminated lead as a gasoline additive, completing a phase-out that began in 1973.
1990 The Gas Utilities Statutes Amendment Act 1990 was passed by the Alberta Legislature, giving non-industrial consumers in Alberta the choice of entering into contracts for gas supply, subject to regulations.
1990 The New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) began trading natural gas futures contracts for delivery at Henry Hub, Louisiana.
1992 Lloydminster upgrader began processing heavy oil.
1992 The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) was created, with the merger of the Canadian Petroleum Association and the Independent Petroleum Association of Canada. The association represented some 200 producers whose collective production represented nearly 95% of Canada’s total crude oil and natural gas output.
1992 At the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, Canada and more than 160 other nations adopted a philosophy of sustainable development and agreed to begin limiting emissions of greenhouse gases that may contribute to global climate change.
1993 The Alberta Energy Company (AEC, now EnCana) began reporting daily natural gas spot prices at its gas storage facility at AECO-C, located near Suffield, Alberta.
1993 The Cowley Ridge wind plant, near Pincher Creek, Alberta, was completed, becoming the first commercial wind farm in Canada.
1994 Functions of Alberta’s Department of Forestry, Land, & Wildlife were merged into the Department of Environmental Protection, and the Department of Energy was reorganised into five new divisions. The Alberta Oil Sands Technology and Research Authority (AOSTRA) for promotion of the development of new technologies for oil sands and heavy-oil production was moved under the department of Energy.
1994 Implementation of the Alberta Gas Reference Price, a monthly weighted average of an intra-Alberta consumers’ price and an ex-Alberta border price, reduced by allowances for transporting and marketing gas (Gas Royalty Guidelines, 1994).
1995 Alberta adopted Electricity Utilities Act to deregulate energy supply market.
1995 The Alberta Energy and Utilities Board (AEUB) was created, the Public Utilities Board and the Energy Resources and Conservation Board (previously the Petroleum and Natural Gas Conservation Board) in order to provide a more streamlined and efficient regulatory process.
1995 A generic royalty regime for new oil sands projects was recommended to provide a smaller royalty share at the beginning of a development and a larger share for the government after the developers have recovered their costs. This concept was based on The Oil Sands: A New Energy Vision for Canada, a report prepared by the National Task Force on Oil Sands Strategies.
1996 The EUB passed rules implementing natural gas customer choice for small consumers in Alberta.
1996 Edmonton’s natural gas, power and water utilities were merged, forming EPCOR Utilities. (Source: EPCOR)
1996–1997 In 1996, the Electric Utilities Act was passed. The AEUB held a hearing to restructure electric tariffs to implement changes to the electric utility industry that were introduced in the Electric Utilities Act (EUA). Each major utility applied to separate its generation, transmission and distribution costs. The framework for further restructuring of the electric utility industry was established through the Electric Utilities Amendment Act that was passed in 1997.
1997 The Kyoto Protocol treaty was negotiated in December 1997 in Kyoto, Japan, and came into effect on 16 February 2005.
1997 The Hibernia oil platform was towed to the Hibernia oil field and positioned on the ocean floor in June 1997. It began producing oil on 17 November 1997. The platform stands 224 m high, which is half the height of New York’s Empire State Building (449 m) and 33 m taller than the Calgary Tower (191 m).
1997 The generic oil sands royalty regime, the Oil Sands Royalty Regulation, 1997, came into effect on 1 July 1997. It established generic royalty terms for all new oil sands projects. At the same time, the federal government extended its accelerated capital cost allowance to oil sands projects to encourage their development.
1996–1998 Alberta established three new independent bodies (the Power Pool, Transmission Administrator and Market Surveillance Administrator) to ensure open and competitive access to deregulated power markets.
1998–2006 Before the 2007 Royalty Review Panel was formed, the department conducted a Royalty and Related Information Review (RRIR); following the report, an impact analysis and updates were also published.
1999 Alberta Department of Energy was reorganised and renamed the Department of Resource Development; responsibility for forest industry development, and for rural utilities, were incorporated into the new entity.
2000s
Year Event
2000 Alberta established retailer licensing and codes of conduct for deregulated electricity markets.
2000 The Government of Alberta implemented the Energy Tax Refund.
2000 The largest cogeneration plant in Canada, Joffre, came online. (Source: Centre for Energy)
2000 Alliance natural gas pipeline began commercial service after construction complete from Fort St. John, BC, to Chicago, IL.
2000 Major expansion projects completed at Joffre and Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, to the world’s two largest ethylene-based petrochemical plants.
2000 Syncrude’s Aurora project was the first remote oil sands plant in Alberta; the project cost about $600 million. (Source: Syncrude)
2000 In 2000, based on the success of the Alberta Oil Sands Technology and Research Authority (AOSTRA), the government broadened its focus on energy research with the creation of the Alberta Energy Research Institute (AERI) to explore more opportunities and technologies related to energy and greenhouse gas emission research; eventually, that grew into Alberta Innovates, Energy and Environment Solutions.
2001 Alberta Department of Resource Development became the Department of Energy.
2001 The Government of Alberta provided rebates to consumers of natural gas as natural gas prices reached record levels. Later in the year, the Natural Gas Price Protection Act was implemented, setting out a formal structure for natural gas rebates in Alberta.
2001 The Electric utility industry was restructured, the Energy Utilities Board no longer regulated wholesale electricity prices and customers could choose their electricity retailer.
2001 Alberta Justice filed a Statement of Claim on behalf of Alberta Energy for the Soldier’s Settlement Board minerals and revenues earned by Canada on those minerals since 1 October 1930. Returning war veterans were given surface titles in 1917.
2002 First commercial production of natural gas in coal (a.k.a., coalbed methane) in Alberta. In late 2002, an internal review of government rules and regulations related to CBM development began. This review also included the collection of CBM production and geological data.
2002 BioGem Power Systems partnered with the Iron Creek Hutterite Colony to build Alberta’s first commercial biogas system; the system used manure produced on the colony as its feedstock and sells electricity into the provincial grid.
2002 AltaLink assumed control of Alberta’s largest transmission system (previously owned by TransAlta) to become the first independent transmission provider in Canada. (Source: AltaLink)
2002 Natural gas royalty framework was revised to be based on in-stream components.
2002 Cenovus Foster Creek became the first commercially viable Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) project, which would soon become the key recovery method for extracting in situ bitumen.
2002 Alberta’s first propylene facility became operational in Redwater.
2003–2009 The Government of Alberta implemented the Natural Gas Rebate Program to protect Alberta consumers from high natural gas prices. The program ended on 31 March 2009.
2003 The Government of Alberta passed the Electric Utilities Act, setting the stage for further development of a fair and open competitive electricity market. Under the act, the Power Pool of Alberta and the provincial transmission administrator were merged to form an Independent System Operator, the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO). AESO manages the competitive electricity wholesale spot market.
2003 In September 2003, a pre-consultation was held with a number of Coalbed Methane stakeholder groups to identify and prioritise issues. Landowners, agriculture producers, academics, the energy industry and environmental groups participated. This led to the Coalbed Methane/Natural Gas in Coal Multistakeholder Advisory Committee (the MAC) that was established in November 2003 to provide advice and guidance on the Coalbed Methane consultation process.
2004 Changes are introduced to Alberta’s retail electricity and natural gas industries, providing consumers with a choice of utility retailers. A customer choice website was developed to help Albertans select providers; later this became the Utilities Consumer Advocate (UCA).
2004 The $200 million Innovative Energy Technologies Program was announced.
2004 For the first time in Alberta’s history the total annual bitumen production exceeded one million barrels per day.
2005 Alberta’s Mineable Oil Sands Strategy (MOSS) was produced by a steering group that included representatives from environmental organisations, First Nations, industry and government. They were asked to revise plans for consulting on policy principles. The draft for discussion documents, Mineable Oil Sands Strategy and Fort McMurray Mineable Oil Sands Integrated Resource Management Plan was submitted in October.
2005 Genesee Unit 3 was completed. The 450-megawatt unit was Canada’s first generation facility to use supercritical combustion technology for greater fuel efficiency and significantly lower emissions. (Clean Coal)
2005 In the fall, the executive committees of the natural resource and environmental ministries (Alberta Energy, Alberta Environment and Alberta Sustainable Resource Development) developed a plan to become the best natural resource and environmental managers in the world. To accomplish this, they made a commitment to strengthen how they worked together. Sustainable Resource and Environmental Management SREM was an approach — a way of thinking and acting — to working together and taking joint responsibility to achieve agreed-upon natural resource and environmental outcomes. While it built upon successful models of cooperative integration such as Water for Life, it also called for a change in how the three departments conduct their day-to-day business with each other, within departments and across departments. It laid a roadmap to align policies, align information sharing, and streamline regulatory processes.
2005–2006 Record land sale: 9196 parcels were sold for a total bonus of $2165464637.1; average price per hectare was $693.82.
2006 Alberta’s Nine-Point Bioenergy Plan was announced, providing $239 million in bioenergy funding to support alternative energy development in the province.
2006 The Government of Alberta approved an allocation of $200 million over four years to create the Energy Innovation Fund (EIF). The EIF is a provincial initiative that supports building world-class knowledge, expertise and leadership to responsibly develop our vast energy resources for the benefit of current and future generations.
2006 The Oil Sands Ministerial Strategy Committee was directed by Cabinet to develop a coordinated short-term action plan to address the social, environmental and economic impacts of oil sands developments, Investing in our Future: Responding to the Rapid Growth of Oil Sands Development Final Report was released in December.
2006 The highest average price ($774.57) per hectare for petroleum and natural gas sales was reported during the first quarter of 2006.
2006 The Oil Sands Consultations Multistakeholder Committee (MSC) began oil sands consultations throughout Alberta. This series of information meetings were held throughout the province to give Albertans an opportunity to add their voice into how the province’s oil sands should be developed.
2006 Planning for regional land-use plans began in 2006. It started with Albertans asking for a broader land-use management plan, moved to a series of ideas groups and consultations, and then the creation of the Land Use Secretariat and the first Regional Advisory Councils. The proclamation of the Alberta Land Stewardship Act made it possible to support regional plans in 2008 the Land-use Framework (LUF) website was launched.
2007 Grants were issued from February 2007 to March 2011 for Bioenergy Grant Programs.
2007 The Alberta government eliminated the Alberta Royalty Tax Credit Program (ARTC). The decision followed a review and consultation with industry and stakeholders.
2007 Setting out a vision and identifying principles to guide the future development of Alberta’s oil sands were highlighted in the Oil Sands Consultations Multistakeholder Committee (MSC) Final Report and the Aboriginal Consultation Final Report released in July.
2007 The Oil Sands Sustainable Development Secretariat was created to address rapid growth issues in the oil sands regions of Alberta. The Secretariat collaborates with ministries, industry, communities and stakeholders to address the social, infrastructure, environmental and economic impacts of oil sands development. It acted as a main point of contact for inquiries from the public, industry and stakeholders on the government’s plan for managing growth in the oil sands. In May 2012, it became a section of the website.
2007 The Government of Alberta tasked an independent, expert Royalty Review Panel to examine the province’s energy royalties and tax regime. The panel was asked to focus on all aspects of the royalty system, including oil sands, conventional oil and gas, and coalbed methane. Their report was released on 18 September.
2007 Drake Landing Solar Community was announced in September. The planned neighbourhood near Okotoks is heated by a district system that gathers solar energy and stores it underground in the summer, then uses it to heat homes during the winter. (Source: Drake Landing Solar Community)
2007 Premier Ed Stelmach announced Alberta’s New Royalty Framework on 25 October. The Framework will see Albertans benefit from increased royalties generated by an internationally competitive energy industry.
2007 The Incremental Ethane Extraction Policy (IEEP) was introduced as a 10-year initiative to encourage increased ethane extraction by providing royalty credits for increased ethane consumption by petrochemical facilities in Alberta.
2007 An Examination of the Alberta Energy and Utilities board Security Measures related to the AltaLink 500 KV hearing was conducted by Justice D. W. Perras.
2007–2011 Construction of Keephills 3, Canada’s most advanced coal-fired facility would use supercritical boiler technology which features higher boiler temperatures, higher pressures and a high-efficiency steam turbine. The new plant would emit approximately 60–80% less sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NO x ), mercury (Hg) and 24% less CO2 while producing the same amount of power.
2008 The governments of Alberta and Canada released Canada’s Fossil Energy Future: The Way Forward on Carbon Capture and Storage, which provided advice on how governments and industry can work together to facilitate and support the development of carbon capture and storage opportunities in Canada.
2008 Alberta’s Micro-Generation Regulation was introduced, making it easier for individual Albertans to produce their own renewable power. The regulation allows Albertans to generate their own environmentally friendly electricity and receive credit for extra power sent into the electricity grid.
2008 The first successfully reclaimed site was certified in the Alberta Oil Sands, near Fort McMurray. (Source: Syncrude)
2008 On 1 January, 2008, the Alberta Utilities Commission Act split the EUB into two new regulatory bodies, the Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB) and the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC). The AUC is responsible for the distribution and sale of electricity and natural gas to Alberta consumers. On 17 June, 2013, the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) succeeded the ERCB to provide full-lifecycle regulatory oversight of energy resource development in Alberta.
2008 On 30 June 2008, the Department of Energy announced a statement outlining the Bitumen Valuation Methodology (BVM), which was implemented on 1 January 2009. The BVM was implemented to determine a value to calculate oil sands royalty for bitumen produced in oil sands royalty projects where all or a substantial portion of the production is either upgraded on site, or sold or transferred to affiliates. More information is in IB 2012-07.
2008 The Land-use framework (LUF) was developed under the Sustainable Resource and Environmental Management initiative.
2008–2009 The Government appointed a Nuclear Power Expert Panel in 2008 to prepare a report on nuclear energy. In March 2009 the Panel releases their report, in April Nuclear Power consultation began. It involved a workbook open for public feedback, randomly enroled discussion groups, stakeholder discussion groups and a telephone survey. Participants included 4832 individual Albertans and a broad range of stakeholder groups. Results from the consultation were compiled into a report released on 14 December 2009.
2008–2009 In April 2008, the Carbon Capture Development Council was created, which offered a number of deliverables. In July 2008, Premier Ed Stelmach announced a $2 billion fund to advance carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects in Alberta to help reduce emissions by up to 5 million tonnes annually by 2015. In 2009 four projects proponents signed Letters of Intent (LOIs) with the Government of Alberta.
2008–2009 In August 2008, the Government released a Bitumen Royalty-In-Kind (BRIK) Request for Expression of Interest (REOI), inviting interested parties to make a submission detailing their interest, and explaining how they could participate in using the government’s BRIK volumes. Work continued in 2009 with RFP’s, discussion papers, and an industry paper.
2008 The Provincial Energy Strategy released in December 2008 charts the course of Alberta’s energy future. The strategy is a long-term action plan for Alberta to achieve clean energy production, wise energy use and sustained economic prosperity.
2008 The Renewable Fuel Standard was developed as part of the Provincial Energy Strategy.
2009 The Alberta New Royalty Framework was announced in 2007, and took effect on 1 January, 2009.
2009 The Oil Sands Sustainable Development Secretariat released a 20-year plan, Responsible Actions: A Plan for Alberta’s Oil Sands.
2009 Under the Electric Statutes Amendment Act, 2009 (also known as Bill 50), the Government of Alberta approved the need for four critical transmission infrastructure (CTI) projects. It also gave Cabinet the authority to designate future transmission facilities as critical transmission infrastructure. The Electric Utilities Amendment Act (also known as Bill 8) removed this authority and required all future transmission infrastructure projects to go through a full needs assessment process before the Alberta Utilities Commission. The Government of Alberta no longer has the authority to approve the need for future critical transmission infrastructure. In the summer, a number of electricity transmission information sessions were held around the province, a poster from Alberta Energy and one from AESO promoted the event.
2009 A Memorandum of understanding was signed with Houston’s Rice University to combine nanotech expertise to advance clean energy efforts.
2009 EPCOR announced plans to transfer its power generation business to the newly created Capital Power Corporation, which will operate as a stand-alone public company. (Source: Capital Power)
2010 to Present
Year Event
2010 After 9 years of negotiations, Alberta Justice returned mineral titles and revenues earned by Canada since 1930 to Alberta. In 1917, surface land titles were provided to returning war veterans through the Soldier Settlement Board (SSB).
2010 Almost half of the oil sands production (47%) was collected in 2010 through in situ methods.
2010 In May, a Royalty Competitiveness Review was announced. News release, ‘Alberta stimulates new energy investment, new technologies’ was issued. A webinar was held to inform industry. New Well Royalty Regulation approved in 23 March 2011.
2010–2011 The AUC was directed to gather information and report back to the Minister on three key initiatives to enhance conservation, development of green energy sources and the regulatory process.

  • Review the regulatory approval process for hydroelectric facilities.

  • Determine how smart grid technology can be used to modernise the electricity system. Advanced Metering Infrastructure helps consumers make more informed decisions on wise electricity use.

  • Review the rules for the regulation of consumer choices for both natural gas and electricity.
2010–2011 Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan launched the New West Partnership in April creating an economic powerhouse of 9 million people with a combined GDP of more than $550 billion. In December, provinces united to improve access to Asian markets. In December 2011, the Premiers committed to an Ottawa mission.
2010 Record land sale netted more than $2.39 billion; it was the first time the province has exceeded $2 billion in sales. The province also established a new high for the average price per hectare; the 7 July sale netted an average price of $2,185.03 per hectare, exceeding the previous high of $2,084.86.
2010 In August, the Public Involvement in the Shell Quest Environmental Assessment was released.
2010 October Energizing Investment Industry Royalty sessions; Competitiveness Review Changes, Training Session (12 and 13 October 2010), and Joint Industry/Alberta Energy Crown Royalty Information exchange (22 October 2010).
2010 Bitumen Royalty-in-Kind (BRIK) began negotiations in May 2010; in February 2011 an agreement was signed.
2010–2013 Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) amendment (Bill 24) legislation was introduced in November 2010 to guide how large-scale CCS projects will proceed in Alberta. In March 2011, international expertise was announced to guide commercial scale deployment of CCS. In July 2012, the Quest project was approved by the ERCB with conditions. In February 2013, the funding agreement for the Swan Hills Synfuels project was discontinued.
2010–2011 The AUC was directed to gather information and report back to the Minister on three key initiatives to enhance conservation, development of green energy sources and the regulatory process.

  • Review the regulatory approval process for hydroelectric facilities.

  • Determine how smart grid technology can be used to modernise the electricity system. Advanced Metering Infrastructure helps consumers make more informed decisions on wise electricity use.

  • Review the rules for the regulation of consumer choices for both natural gas and electricity.
2010–2011 Regulatory Enhancement Task Force delivers reports from June 2010 to May 2011 to better integrate oil and gas policy and the regulatory system.
2010–2011 ERCB reported over 2,300 successful oil wells were drilled in 2010, more than double the numbers drilled in 2009.
2011 In January, the Regulatory Enhancement Task Force made six recommendations to government:

  • Establish a Policy Management Office (tasked with developing a public engagement process as well as the risk assessment and management approach);

  • Establish a single oil, gas, oil sands and coal regulator;

  • Provide a clear public engagement process;

  • Establish a common risk assessment and management approach;

  • Establish a performance measurement framework and public reporting mechanism;

  • Develop an effective mechanism to address landowner concerns.
2011 The five-year Incremental Ethane Extraction Program (IEEP) was approved in 2006 and expanded in 2011 to support continued growth of Alberta’s petrochemical sector. Ethane extraction during bitumen upgrading reduces greenhouse gas emissions and boosts value-added production.
2011 The Federal Government partnered with industry to bring new Natural Gas technology to market. The federal government funded $750,000 toward a project facilitated by the not-for-profit industry and stakeholder association, Petroleum Technology Alliance Canada (PTAC). Alberta Energy also contributed $250,000 toward the total project costs. A clean energy centre was also established for biomass technologies in the same month.
2011 Some bioenergy programs ended (see more information about alternative and renewable energy).
2011 Alberta implemented a Renewable Fuels Standard on 1 April, requiring an annual average of 2% renewable diesel in diesel fuel and 5% renewable alcohol in gasoline sold in Alberta.
2011 The Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO), the province’s electricity system planner, released a long-term transmission plan in June.
2011 The Innovative Energy Technologies program (IETP) created in 2004 announced another six projects in July bringing the total number of projects to 37.
2011 Alberta hosted Canada’s Energy and Mines Ministers’ conference in July in Kananaskis. A Canadian Energy strategy was discussed and a national action plan will be reviewed at the 2012 conference in Prince Edward Island.
2011 An Oil and Gas Royalty Information Exchange with Industry and the department was held in October.
2011 Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) introduced changes in October to utility disconnection and reconnection practices to protect vulnerable customers. This AUC initiative coordinates energy companies, social agencies and the privacy commissioner.
2011 The Oil Sands Information Portal was launched in November to allow easy access to data, making Alberta industry information more transparent. It includes searchable data, highlighting such things as facility-specific water use, greenhouse gas emissions, tailings pond size, and land disturbance and reclamation.
2011–2012 Electricity planning was on the schedule for the last quarter of 2011 and the first quarter of 2012. In December, the Alberta government announced the Critical Transmission Review Committee, an independent expert panel to examine plans for two high-voltage transmission lines between the Edmonton and Calgary regions. Their report was released in February; 10 days later the government accepted the recommendations, issued a response and agreed to review the variable, regulated retail electricity rate. In March, the Alberta government appointed the Retail Market Review Committee (RMRC), an independent committee, to review the electricity retail market to help address the volatility and costs associated with the variable, or default, rate in Alberta’s competitive market. The RMRC was set up in March, an extension was granted in June, and the report was delivered to the Minister in September.
2012 The New West Partnership (Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan) announced new rules to streamline registration on 1 July 2012. In September 2012, Premier Alison Redford and other members promoted the New West Partnership in China.
2012 The Oil Sands Sustainable Development Secretariat was with Treasury Board and Infrastructure before returning to Alberta Energy in May of 2012. Comprehensive Regional Infrastructure Sustainability Plans (CRISP) are new long-term and collaborative approaches to planning infrastructure in Alberta’s three oil sands areas. The CRISP for the Athabasca Oil Sands Area has been completed, and the CRISP for the Cold Lake Oil Sands Area is currently underway; the Peace River Oil Sands Area will be next.
2012 On 7 June, the Plains Midstream Canada’s Rangeland pipeline had a release into the Red Deer River via Jackson Creek. Premier Redford issued a statement the following day.
2012–2013 On 9 July 2012, generation outages combined with minimal wind generation and record-high demand for power put pressure on Alberta’s electricity system, causing rolling outages across the province. The Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO), the independent agency that manages Alberta’s electricity grid, requested transmission facility operators and distribution companies to curtail power so the system did not fail. The Market Surveillance Administrator (MSA) and the AESO reviewed the day’s events in detail, as they do for all situations that are out of the norm. (MSA report, November 2012; AESO report, April 2013)
2012 Minister Hughes requested on 20 July that the ERCB retain an independent third party to examine elements of the province’s pipeline system. The ERCB issued a Request for Proposal on the Alberta Purchasing Connection website. On 10 September the ERCB announced that Group 10 Engineering Ltd. was awarded the contract.
2012 On 22 August the Lower Athabasca Regional Plan (LARP) was announced; it is the first regional plan under the Land-use Framework (LUF).
2012 The Responsible Energy Development Act was passed, it is a one-stop approach making it easier for Albertans and industry to navigate the system; other regulatory enhancement efforts also took place. A separate regulatory enhancement history section is available.
2012 The Petroleum Registry of Alberta became Petrinex (Petroleum Information Excellence) in November.
2012 This was the first calendar year when in situ bitumen production exceeded mined production. In situ production was about 992,000 barrels per day (bbl/d) or 52%, and mined production was 930,000 (bb/d) or 48%.
2012–2014 The Retail Market Review Committee (RMRC) made recommendations to strengthen the electricity market. The Retail Market Review Committee (RMRC) Report (5 MB) and Highlights were released in January 2013 with 41 recommendations. Thirty-three recommendations were accepted in principle and referred to an MLA implementation team (Terms of Reference). The team worked with consumers, industry, regulators and others to ensure an effective, affordable and sensible solution was in place.
2013 The Swan Hills Synfuels carbon capture and storage project was cancelled in February.
2013 Five new pilot projects were announced in April under the Innovative Energy Technology Program (IETP).
2013 On 17 June, The Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) succeeded the Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB).
2013 In July, Alberta and British Columbia Premiers signed an agreement for a Deputy Minister’s working group to grow British Columbia and Alberta resource sectors and help with work on the Canadian Energy Strategy.
2013 Alberta signed the historic Framework Agreement on Sustainable Energy Development with China to increase energy trade and collaboration between the two jurisdictions.
2013 The Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) was given more power through Regulatory Enhancement, including a new registry for surface agreements and the authority to administer the Public Lands Act for energy projects.
2013 Legislation created the Alberta Environmental Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Agency (AEMERA), which is responsible for operating a comprehensive, science-based monitoring system.
2013 The AER launched a new tool to protect landowner rights in December. As part of phase 2 implementation of the Responsible Energy Development Act, the Private Surface Agreements Registry (PSAR) was developed. Under PSAR, landowners and occupants can register surface agreements made with energy companies operating on their property. If a landowner feels that a company is not meeting a term or condition of a registered agreement, they can request that the AER intervene. If the AER determines that the company is not meeting the terms of the agreement, it can issue an order to comply.
2013 On 19 December the independent Joint Review Panel recommended approval of the Northern Gateway pipeline. The recommendation, which was sent to the federal cabinet for final approval, marks a critical milestone toward supplying Alberta’s oil to new international markets. Ministers responded to the Gateway decision in a news release. Alberta Energy commissioned an Arctic Energy Gateway report in 2013.
2013 The Building New Petroleum Markets Act was passed under the Petroleum Marketing Act (Bill 34) to boost the government’s ability to respond more quickly to changing market conditions and empower it to proactively seek out opportunities for Alberta’s energy products. The legislation allows the Minister of Energy to set the strategic priorities of the Alberta Petroleum Marketing Commission (APMC).
2014 The Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) completed its transition under Regulatory Enhancement to a single regulator for energy development in Alberta on 31 March 2014.
2014 Alberta celebrated 100 years of oil and gas exploration with the centennial of the Dingman #1 well discovering oil in the Turner Valley. The Canadian Association of Petroleum producers (CAPP) produced a video celebrating the anniversary.
2014 Alberta Energy Regulator signs an MOU with Mexico to work collaboratively on regulatory best practices in the development of hydrocarbon resources. (AER June)
2014 In October, Alberta Premier, Jim Prentice, issued a statement encouraging the National Energy Board to review TransCanada’s Energy East application.
2014 Premiers Clark and Prentice met in November to discuss responsible energy development, natural resource exports to Asia Pacific, reducing barriers to trade and mobility between provinces, as well as fiscal responsibility and cooperation toward a new partnership with First Nations.
2014 Also in November, Canada’s Gas Tax Fund supported local infrastructure priorities throughout Alberta.
2014 Alberta was represented at two international conferences on energy and environmental issues in December.
2014 Also in December, the MLA team reported on the recommendations from the Retail Market Review Committee to benefit electricity consumers.
2015 Alberta strengthened environmental protections in the oil sands in March.
2015 In June, steps toward a climate change strategy and a royalty review chair were announced to set up the 2015 Royalty Review Panel.
2015 The energy minister visited the Nexen spill site in July.
2015 The Alberta Royalty Review was officially underway in August, and community engagement sessions were announced the following month, as well as telephone town halls with more community sessions in October.
2015 The climate leadership plan in November looked to transition away from coal and have 30% of the electricity grid supplied by renewable energy by 2030.
2016 Alberta’s New Royalty Framework was released on 29 January.
2016 The Petrochemicals Diversification Program was announced in February to encourage companies to invest in the development of new Alberta petrochemical facilities by providing up to $500 million in incentives through royalty credits. The deadline for applications was 22 April; on 6 June 16 applications were submitted, a program announcement is expected in the early fall.
2016 July was the last month to submit to some bioenergy programs; look for more information in the future under the Climate leadership plan. An oil sands advisory group was also added to the plan.
2016 In July royalty programs and an early opt-in option are announced under the Modernized Royalty Framework.
2016 Court action launched to protect prower consumers from paying cost of unlawful ‘Enron clause’.
2016 A frim target of 30 per cent of electricity used in Alberta will come from renewable sources such as wind, hydro and solar by 2030.

Note

Quoted from www.energy.alberta.ca. The list of events may not include all major actions as it was developed based on announcements. Alberta Energy History http://www.energy.alberta.ca/About_Us/3997.asp, provided as a summary by the Government of Alberta, the site does not endorse, authorise, approve, certify, maintain or control these external Internet addresses and does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, efficacy or timeliness of the information located at such addresses.

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