AESO Thanks Albertans for Quick Response to Call for Power Conservation

CALGARY, ALBERTA, January 13, 2024—An urgent appeal to Albertans to conserve electricity tonight was instrumental in avoiding rotating power outages and lifting a Grid Alert that had been declared at 3:30 p.m. due to extreme cold and high electricity demand.

The AESO worked with the Government of Alberta to issue an Emergency Alert to Albertans, asking them to immediately reduce their electricity use to essential needs only. Almost immediately after the alert was issued, the AESO saw a significant 100 MW drop in electricity demand, which amounted to a 200 MW reduction within minutes. The Grid Alert was declared ended at 8:40 p.m.

“The province-wide response to the call for energy conservation was tremendous,” says Mike Law, President and CEO of the AESO. “On behalf of the AESO, I would like to extend my thanks to all Albertans who responded to the call for action, which ensured we didn’t have to progress to rotating outages, keeping our grid up and running for all Albertans.”

Law also gratefully acknowledges the efforts of the AESO’s hard-working System Operators, as well as generation, transmission and distribution facility technical operations teams across the province, saying that it was “truly a collaborative effort.”

“I’d also like to thank the Government of Alberta for their efforts in helping us get the call to action, including activating the provincial emergency alert system,” adds Law.

With extremely cold temperatures forecast through tomorrow, the AESO requests that Albertans continue to conserve energy during the peak demand period from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

More information on Grid Alerts and tips for electricity conservation can be found at aeso.ca.  

For more information, contact:  

Email: media@aeso.ca 

X (Twitter): @theaeso  

The Alberta Electric System Operator is responsible for the safe, reliable, and economic planning and operation of the Alberta Interconnected Electric System. We provide open and non-discriminatory access to Alberta’s interconnected power grid and we also facilitate Alberta’s competitive wholesale electricity market.