EDMONTON, AB: Court documents obtained from the Enmax lawsuit, recently launched against the Balancing Pool, once again show what a significant and costly impact NDP government meddling has had on Power Purchasing Arrangements (PPAs) in Alberta, the United Conservative Party Official Opposition said.
In the statement of claim from Enmax, interference by the Government of Alberta in the Balancing Pool’s Statutory Mandate is clearly outlined with the Balancing Pool advising the NDP government on multiple occasions that the Pool was prepared to accept the terminations of PPAs, but that the NDP government was “actively and purposely forestalling their terminations.”
A FOIP the UCP Caucus obtained from the Balancing Pool and referenced in the Enmax court filings includes an email from the Pool’s CEO Gary Reynolds to a department official that states “we’re done, and we [sic] just waiting on the GoA to give us the green light to move on.” That green light is still stalled on red.
“The Enmax lawsuit is yet another example of the complete and utter failure of the NDP government on the electricity file,” United Conservative Party Caucus Electricity and Renewables Critic Don MacIntyre said. “This indecision and fundamental misunderstanding of PPAs could cost Albertans as much as $336 million more.”
The Enmax lawsuit stands in direct contrast to recent comments from the Energy Minister, who stated that she would give her feedback to the Balancing Pool, and that her advice would be to “just make sure they’re considering what’s best for Alberta’s interests … but at the end of the day, they [the Balancing Pool] make the decisions.”
“We have known for a long time that the NDP government is in over its head on the PPA file, but this Enmax lawsuit just seals the deal,” United Conservative Party Caucus Energy Critic Rick Fraser said. “The NDP need to do the right thing, drop this frivolous lawsuit against Enmax, and take some accountability for its actions.”