The Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) has asked Albertans to immediately reduce their electricity use to minimize the potential for rotating outages across the province.
"The AESO declared a Grid Alert today at 3:30 p.m. in response to ongoing extreme cold temperatures across western Canada, restricted imports and very high demand," AESO said in a media release.
"Albertans are asked to immediately reduce their electricity use to essential needs only," the emergency alert read.
Albertans are asked to turn off unnecessary lights and electrical appliances and minimize the use of space heaters. Albertans are also asked to delay the use of major power appliances, delay charging electrical vehicles and plugging in block heaters.
Cooking should be done with a microwave and not a stove, the alert said.
"Reducing peak electricity demand through province-wide conservation will minimize the high potential for rotating outages this evening," a statement on the AESO website said.
Currently, the AESO projects the Alberta grid will face a 100 to 200 MW shortfall of electricity during peak evening hours.
Immediate power conservation could make a significant difference in reducing overall system demand, currently at approximately 12,000 MW, AESO said. To put these numbers into perspective, tonight the City of Calgary will be drawing approximately 1,650 MW of electricity, and, if rotating outages are implemented, will need to reduce power by approximately 50 MW.
Rotating outages mean that some power will be temporarily out in different parts of the province until sufficient generation returns to the grid or power demand declines enough that the AESO can rebalance supply and demand, the statement from AESO read.
AESO said on the website that in the event of a rotating outage, the AESO directs Distribution Facility Owners (DFOs), such as municipalities, to reduce power on a proportianate basis across the province. Outages will occur simultaneously across Alberta. Critical facilities such as hospitals, fire, police and first responders are not included in rotating outages. Each DFO manages rotating outages at their level. Each rotating outage is expected to last approximately 30 minutes at a time and could be implemented shortly.
Alberta's Minister of Affordability and Utilities Nathan Neudorf issued a statement after the emergency alert to Albertans asking them to reduce their electric demand immediately to essentials.
"On top of high demand of our own energy generation, Alberta's grid receives electricity from neighbouring provinces. Extreme weather in Saskatchewan and British Columbia is impacting electricity sharing, which is also a contributing factor to tonight's grid alert. The Alberta Electric System Operator has activated its emergency grid management plan to work with local distribution utilities to avoid potential rolling brownouts," Neudorf said in a statement.
Here are some easy ways to conserve electricity this evening and into the night:
- Turn off unnecessary lights and electrical appliances;
- Minimize the use of space heaters;
- Delay the use of major power-consuming appliances such as washers, dryers and dishwashers;
- Delay charging electric vehicles and/or plugging in block heaters;
- Cook with your microwave, crockpot or toaster oven instead of an electric stove or oven;
- Limit the use of kitchen or bathroom ventilation fans;
- Work on a laptop instead of a desktop computer (laptops are more energy-efficient than desktop units);
- Unplug electric appliances when not in use, as they continue to drain energy even if they’re off (or use a power bar to cut power to multiple appliances with a single button);
- Close your curtains/shades/blinds to cover drafty windows.
