Alberta Power Symposium

Start the event with an exclusive meet and greet – where you can connect face-to-face with key speakers and fellow attendees. Seize this unique opportunity to meet some of our faculty of experts and make meaningful connections before the conference begins!

As Indigenous communities move from consultation to ownership and equity participation, it is becoming essential to structure partnerships that create real value on both sides. This session will guide delegates on how to build agreements that hold up in today’s regulatory, financing, and reputational climate while supporting Indigenous-led development.

Topics of discussion will include:

• Structuring agreements, joint ventures, and memorandums of understanding and building sustainable relationships with Indigenous communities
• Comparing IBAs, project equity, and business acquisitions
• Encouraging long-term development by aligning industry, service companies, and Indigenous partners
• Identifying key risks from the perspective of Indigenous owners and developers/suppliers
• Exploring how Indigenous-owned projects are financed and organized in Canada’s current energy market
• Developing practical strategies to enable Indigenous investment and involvement in future energy and infrastructure projects

Data centre development presents a tremendous economic opportunity for Alberta’s future. However, due to AI’s energy intensive nature, managing grid reliability and lowering emissions will be key to the long-term success of AI data centres. Topics of discussion will include:

• Assessing the role of Alberta’s deregulated electricity market to provide off-grid power generation for natural gas, geothermal energy, and battery storage
• Discussing Alberta’s plans for securing power capacity, sustainable cooling methods, and driving economic growth
• Examining the impacts of Meta’s $13B data centre and other and projects under construction
• Analyzing the benefits and load requirements of edge data centres vs. hyperscalers

Leaders from Alberta’s largest power producers and utility providers will share their insights on the state of Alberta’s energy market, the Restructured Energy Market Initiative, AI data centres, and more during this insightful and engaging session. Topics of discussion will include:

• Managing power prices and consumer expectations
• Assessing data centre development and its impact on energy demand and consumption
• Reviewing policy and regulatory frameworks for opportunities to streamline efficiency
• Debating how changes to the REM have affected the retail market

This session will provide a practical look at how Indigenous Nations are leading utility-scale renewables and microgrids in Alberta. With mega-watt solar projects such as the Tilley Project and Tsuut’ina Chief Big Belly Solar Project nearing completion, the future is very bright for Indigenous-led energy projects in Alberta.

Topics of discussion will include:

• Assessing how projects align with community priorities and grid needs
• Reviewing effective partnership models and the essential components for bankability
• Building capacity and creating economic opportunities for Indigenous communities

Sponsored by

This fun and interactive showcase will feature innovators and emulators with customized solutions to address Alberta’s most pressing grid challenges. This showcase highlights groundbreaking ideas that will foster meaningful connection and investment opportunities!

Featured as part of the Premier’s mandate letter to the Minister of Affordability and Utilities, demand side management provides opportunities to empower consumers to become grid resources. This session will introduce a new demand response collaboration happening in the province and will present a vision for how this resource can be scaled over time with the involvement of a variety of organizations.

A 2025 study indicated that doubling the capacity of the BC-Alberta interconnection could yield $1.7 billion in net benefits to 2050. With power prices already very affordable in Alberta’s utilities market, the Alberta government has asked AESO to reenergize the BC and Saskatchewan inter-ties to incentivize producers to export power to other provinces and to import power to maintain affordability. Natural Resource Canada is also supporting multiple intertie projects in Western Canada through its’ $4.5 billion Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program (SREP). Topics of discussion will include:

• Enhancing resiliency by pooling resources to offset shortages during peaks, outages, or extreme weather
• Delivering long-term savings by reducing the need to build redundant infrastructure to meet each province or territory’s peak demand.
• Providing the dependable electricity supply needed to attract capital-intensive industries including petrochemicals and artificial intelligence
• Reducing emissions naturally by expanding the energy options available

Alberta’s energy sector is creating exciting new opportunities for recent graduates, but what careers are they looking for, and how can industry support their professional development? Topics of discussion will include:

• Analyzing the main challenges facing young leaders when starting their career journeys
• Debating what is needed to attract and retain more young leaders in energy
• Showcasing what post-secondary institutions are doing to support students in their development in terms of upskilling, recertification, and mentorship
• Integrating automation, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to help address expected labour shortages