Third Alberta grid alert in as many days ends

The Alberta Energy Service Operator (AESO) ended a grid alert Sunday, which called on the province to reduce electricity use to avoid any potential rotating outages.

An alert was sent out just after 4 p.m., and it ended at around 10:30 p.m. after the AESO asked Albertans to limit electricity to essentials until 8 p.m.

“We have returned to normal market conditions,” the AESO said on X.

“Thank you for your conservation efforts, and major kudos to our System Controllers and industry partners for ensuring power continues to flow throughout the province.”

According to the AESO, rotating outages mean 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.”

It says if an outage happens, it will last for around 30 minutes at a time and “could” be implemented shortly. The AESO also says it will direct Distribution Facility Owners (DFOs), such as municipalities, to reduce power on a “pro-rata” basis across the province.

The province saw a major drop in its internal electricity load over the course of the alert.

Meanwhile, Alberta continues to experience extreme cold temperatures, with Environment and Climate Change Canada warning Calgary and Edmonton residents to expect wind chills of up to -50 and periods of dense ice fog.

Edmonton recorded a temperature of -35 C Sunday, with Calgary at -28 C.

The national weather agency said despite somewhat warmer temperatures on the way for Alberta, a hazardous frostbite warning remains in effect. Highs of just -21 C are forecast for Edmonton and Calgary on Monday.

This is the third day the AESO has announced a grid alert.

It issued grid alerts Friday and Saturday, and Neudorf warned there was a high risk of rotating outages Saturday night, which did not occur.

-With files from The Canadian Press