Member Article

In September, 2007 the AESO removed the 900MW threshold on wind power generation. In response to concerns about the Alberta system’s ability to absorb significant volumes of intermittent resources, in 2006 the AESO had capped wind facility interconnection to the Alberta system at 900MW until such time as appropriate mitigation measures were

established to ensure wind power did not jeopardize system reliability. The AESO has implemented a Market and Operational Framework for Wind Integration (MOFWI) premised on

the notion that reasonable forecasts of wind generation should enable it to establish an operating plan to accommodate the forecast wind energy by using the energy market merit order, regulating reserves, load/supply following services and wind generation power management.

 

Significant work remains to finalize the MOFWI framework, including recommendations and requirements from the wind forecasting pilot project which are not expected before the end of 2008. However, the AESO considered it appropriate to remove the cap immediately in light

of general acceptance by industry of the proposed framework, the rapid pace of wind development, and the progress made in clarifying wind power management requirements

and system operating tools to date.

 

There is currently 497MW of wind generation installed on the Alberta system. A further 5,500MW of wind projects are in the transmission interconnection queue.