Electricity demand, natural gas production and renewable power expected to soar by 2050
[url]https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/cer-energy-future-2026-9.7131616[/url]
Electricity demand is set to boom in Canada by 2050, according to new modelling from the national energy regulator released on Tuesday.
The projections also foresee robust growth in natural gas production and expansion of renewable power in the country.
The latest modelling from the Canada Energy Regulator (CER) focuses on an expected spike in power demand from coast to coast as consumption grows 44 per cent from 2023 to 2050.
The increase is driven by residential and industrial demand, in addition to the technology sector, such as AI data centres.
Meanwhile, the capacity of the country’s electricity system is projected to double from 160 gigawatts in 2023 to 310 gigawatts in 2050. The increase in production will be driven mostly by wind energy, which could expand from 40 terawatt-hours of generation in 2023 to 277 terawatt-hours by 2050, the CER says.
"While the largest incremental source of generation is wind energy, we also see a rise in solar, and these variable power sources are supported by higher generation for more stable and dispatchable sources including hydroelectricity, nuclear and natural gas," said Darren Christie, the CER’s chief economist.
"We also see power lines between provinces play a growing role in balancing the variations in electricity supply and demand," said Christie, as total interprovincial transmission capacity is projected to grow by about 70 per cent by 2050.
?
[url]https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/cer-energy-future-2026-9.7131616[/url]
Electricity demand is set to boom in Canada by 2050, according to new modelling from the national energy regulator released on Tuesday.
The projections also foresee robust growth in natural gas production and expansion of renewable power in the country.
The latest modelling from the Canada Energy Regulator (CER) focuses on an expected spike in power demand from coast to coast as consumption grows 44 per cent from 2023 to 2050.
The increase is driven by residential and industrial demand, in addition to the technology sector, such as AI data centres.
Meanwhile, the capacity of the country’s electricity system is projected to double from 160 gigawatts in 2023 to 310 gigawatts in 2050. The increase in production will be driven mostly by wind energy, which could expand from 40 terawatt-hours of generation in 2023 to 277 terawatt-hours by 2050, the CER says.
"While the largest incremental source of generation is wind energy, we also see a rise in solar, and these variable power sources are supported by higher generation for more stable and dispatchable sources including hydroelectricity, nuclear and natural gas," said Darren Christie, the CER’s chief economist.
"We also see power lines between provinces play a growing role in balancing the variations in electricity supply and demand," said Christie, as total interprovincial transmission capacity is projected to grow by about 70 per cent by 2050.
?