Cooler temperatures prompt morning electrical grid alert throughout Alberta

An electrical grid alert was issued throughout Alberta on Tuesday morning as temperatures cooled.

The Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) issued the grid alert at 7:15 a.m., with normal operating conditions returning just over an hour later at 8:22 a.m.

AESO said the cooler temperatures contributed to the grid alert, resulting in an increase in demand during the peak hours of the morning.

Three large thermal generators were also offline, and renewables generation was low due to lower wind than forecast and solar not being available yet.

“The AESO successfully managed these conditions using established tools and processes,” AESO said in an emailed statement.

“We maintain between 550 MW and 600 MW in our contingency reserve margin when we’re in our highest demand periods, and there was still a very solid supply cushion in place.”

AESO said it did not put out a public call for electricity conservation on Tuesday morning because it wasn’t required.

“Our system controllers were successfully managing the conditions using our established tools and processes. The AESO activated the Grid Alert banner on our website, issued a notification via our RSS feed, and alerted industry and government agencies,” AESO said in a follow-up statement.

It added that consumers are only asked to reduce their electricity consumption during extreme circumstances.

AESO says that while electrical usage peaks during periods of extreme temperatures in the summer and winter, the highest yearly usage peak typically occurs in the winter.