It would be pretty dumb to not replace it with gas considering not only the low cost, but also the fact that Alberta produced natural gas is significantly more cleaner for the environment than almost anyone else's.
I was actually surprised to not see more gas plants being built.
I also don't like that people focus on one year of renewable growth and assume that it can't possibly keep up with demand. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, two big things are happening right now. Windmills are becoming bigger and more capable of producing higher power rates from a single unit, and solar is becoming more efficient per week almost. Continued investment into both sectors should see both those things get better.
Also, let us not forget about hydro. Some big hydro projects going up in Manitoba & Ontario in the future which helps ensure Canada's continued dominance in the renewable field (though not in the sexy solar sector). With better inter-provincial trade, we should also see increased contracts to sell hydro between provinces. I believe Manitoba & Sask are both looking at significant deals right now.
From the end of 2019.
Quote:
SWIFT CURRENT — SaskPower is exploring options to transfer as much as 1,000 megawatts of electricity from Manitoba Hydro for the year 2030 and beyond.
That’s enough to power roughly a million homes.
Dustin Duncan, minister responsible for SaskPower, said the idea remains “hypothetical at this point.”
He noted that doing so would require extremely expensive infrastructure upgrades.
“At a minimum, we’re talking in the billions, just on the infrastructure to import, to be able to take that amount of power,” he said Friday.
“That doesn’t include the cost to buy that power over a 30-year contract. So we would be into billions and billions and billions of dollars.”
The most cost-effective option for transferring that much power would require high-voltage transmission lines running from Winnipeg to Regina, according to a joint study published by SaskPower and Manitoba Hydro last month.
That option would cost roughly $1.8 billion. Other options run far higher, reaching as much as $3 billion.
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https://leaderpost.com/news/saskatch...manitoba-hydro