Transmission costs
The cost of providing reliable service to electricity users and grid access to the electricity industry is important to us all.
Transmission costs—a simplified explanation
All electricity users share the cost of moving power though Alberta’s grid. Transmission facility owners build, operate and maintain the grid, and recover their costs by charging for access to it. This appears as a transmission charge on the bill from your electricity service provider.
The rates to be charged are established in the ISO tariff and are approved by the Alberta Utilities Commission.
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Transmission Rate Outlook
The AESO believes in openness and transparency with Albertans and prepares a long-term projection of transmission rates in Alberta based on a set of assumptions.
The Transmission Rate Outlook (TRO), formerly known as the Transmission Rate Projection, aims to provide stakeholders with information to aid their long-term planning and residential consumers with an approximate projection of how much they may pay for future transmission.
The TRO update follows methodology and assumptions aligned with existing regulations and the AESO acknowledges potential variability due to ongoing market and transmission activities.
- AESO 2025 Transmission Rate Outlook [Posted: April 11, 2025]
- Datafile | 2025 Transmission Rate Outlook Dashboard [Posted: April 7, 2025]
- Datafile | 2025 Transmission Rate Outlook (XLSX) [Posted: April 17, 2025]
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Cost benchmarking tools
All transmission facility capital cost estimates and final costs for projects built in Alberta since 2005 are entered into the AESO’s cost benchmark database. Our benchmarking tool helps forecast the cost of building transmission facilities, using this historical information.
- Transmission cost benchmarking data and analysis dashboards
- Project scope description
- Project overall cost estimate breakdown
- Project summary component cost percentage chart
- Transmission line facility unit cost estimate
- 138/144 kV substation facility unit cost estimate
- 240 kV substation facility unit cost estimate
- Substation major equipment unit cost estimate
- Engineering-related cost estimate
Please be advised that the cost benchmarking database is being provided for information purposes only, and it is not otherwise intended to be relied upon. The AESO assumes no liability for any actions taken in reliance on the cost benchmarking database including any expenses, losses or other damages resulting from the reliance thereof. The AESO has tried to provide quality information based on the information it has been provided with, but makes no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the material or information.
