Clean Coal Technologies

Coal is used as the source of power generation for up to 55% of Alberta’s power needs. There is an abundant supply of coal in Alberta and the technology exists to burn it with fewer emissions. Even with wind and solar developments, there must be an "on demand" supply that will replace it when those renewable sources of electricity do not produce.  Wind only produces 30% of the time while solar is limited to 15% of the time. While natural gas is promoted as a replacement, it is subject to wild price fluctuations.  This would tie us to one source for both our heating and electrical needs, which, during a price spike, would severely impact everyone, but most dramatically the poor who can least afford it.

Coal has proven to be the most economical method of producing electricity in areas that do not have access to hydro power.  The loss of this commodity and the introduction of a carbon levy on natural gas will cause a significant spike in the cost of electricity to the end user.  Countries that had previously decided to phase out coal fired power generation are now opening up new sites as the cost of utilizing renewable energy is too expensive and the reliability of renewable energy does not meet the standards set by coal.

Since 1956, Forestburg has been closely tied to the Battle River Generating Station, a coal fired power plant capable of producing 689 megawatts of power.  The generating station and the affiliated coal mine provide many jobs in the Forestburg and surrounding areas.

The loss of these corporations will greatly affect our communities. Not only do they provide employment and livelihood for our residents, they have assisted financially with many of our local projects, the most recent being a new multi-purpose arena.  Furthermore, they are a source of donations and volunteers to other organizations such as our volunteer fire department, library, and swimming pool, to name a few.  These sites also provide work to local support businesses, such as welders, contractors, tradespeople and commercial businesses.  All of these will be negatively impacted by the impending shut down.

The loss of employment to our residents could be catastrophic to our communities.  There are few local employment opportunities available for the displaced workers.  The loss of these families will affect enrolment in our school, our volunteer base, and our business base. 

Forestburg recognizes that environmental stewardship should be a high priority for all of us, but we do feel that decisions made must be tempered with local needs as well.  The cost of shutting down the Battle River Generating Station could be devastating to our region and will impact not only Forestburg, but also our municipal neighbours including Flagstaff County, Paintearth County, County of Stettler, Camrose County, Village of Heisler, Town of Daysland and the hamlet of Galahad.  All of these communities either house workers or businesses that support the plant and mine.

Rural municipalities struggle to survive and the decision to shut down all coal fired plants without attempting to look at ways to ensure that these plants are viable, both economically and environmentally, is very short sighted.  The ultimate cost may be more than our province and citizens can afford.

There is an opportunity for Alberta to become a leader in the development of the clean burning of coal, which would allow us to meet the province’s emissions goals while not negatively impacting the ability of small rural communities to remain sustainable.