Power Archives - Blakes Business Class

Category: Power

Attorney General Electricity Battle Over PPAs in Alberta Comes to a Close

March 13, 2018

The Attorney General of Alberta (AG) and ENMAX have recently settled the legal proceedings brought in 2016 (AG Action) by the provincial government against several former buyers of power purchase arrangements (PPAs). The AG previously settled with various PPA buyers in November and December 2016. By a consent judgment filed March 9, 2018, the AG Action was dismissed against all…

Posted by:

Dalton W. McGrath, Q.C. and Michael O’Brien

Posted in: Corporate & Commercial, Litigation & Dispute Resolution, Power

2018 Federal Budget: Selected Tax Measures

February 28, 2018

On February 27, 2018, the Minister of Finance introduced Canada’s 2018 Federal Budget (2018 Budget). The 2018 Budget includes measures affecting the taxation of passive income earned by private corporations, as was expected, although the changes are not as wide-spread as had been previously suggested. In addition, the 2018 Budget includes a mix of targeted anti-avoidance rules, legislative responses to…

Posted in: Banking, Capital Markets, Corporate & Commercial, Financial Services, Financial Services Regulatory, Oil & Gas, Pensions, Benefits & Executive Compensation, Power, Renewable Energy, Tax

Alberta’s Balancing Pool Confirms Right to Terminate Keephills Power Purchase Agreement

December 12, 2017

Following ENMAX Energy Corporation’s (ENMAX) successful application to obtain a mandatory injunction against the Balancing Pool of Alberta (as reported in our November 2017 Blakes Bulletin: Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench Grants Mandatory Injunction Against Balancing Pool), the Balancing Pool has performed its assessment and verified and accepted ENMAX’s notice terminating the Keephills power purchase agreement (PPA) (Keephills Termination Notice),…

Posted by:

Dalton W. McGrath, Q.C. and Michael O’Brien

Posted in: Litigation & Dispute Resolution, Power

Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench Grants Mandatory Injunction Against Balancing Pool

November 23, 2017

On November 22, 2017, the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta (Court) issued a mandatory injunction in favour of ENMAX Energy Corporation (ENMAX) compelling the Balancing Pool of Alberta to, forthwith and in good faith, complete and communicate the result of its assessment and verification of ENMAX’s termination notice of the Keephills Power Purchase Arrangement issued on May 5, 2016….

Posted by:

Dalton W. McGrath, Q.C. and Michael O’Brien

Posted in: Corporate & Commercial, Litigation & Dispute Resolution, Power

Court Upholds Commercial Certainty in Alberta Power Purchase Arrangements

October 16, 2017

The Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench (Court) has released an important decision regarding the Alberta power industry, which brings certainty to the effective dates of termination of power purchase arrangements (PPAs) in Alberta. In the late 1990s, the Government of Alberta deregulated the electricity market and introduced competition into the market for electrical power and created the Balancing Pool to,…

Posted by:

Dalton W. McGrath, Q.C. and Michael O’Brien

Posted in: Corporate & Commercial, Litigation & Dispute Resolution, Power

Doing Business in Canada

October 10, 2017

The Blakes Doing Business in Canada guide is an introductory summary of the laws and regulations that affect the conduct of business in Canada.

Posted in: Anti-spam, Business Crimes Investigations & Compliance, Capital Markets, Commercial Real Estate, Competition & Antitrust, Corporate & Commercial, Cybersecurity, Employment & Labour, Environmental, Financial Services, Financial Services Regulatory, Foreign Investment, Franchising, Information Technology, Infrastructure, Intellectual Property, International Trade, Litigation & Dispute Resolution, Mergers & Acquisitions, Pensions, Benefits & Executive Compensation, Power, Privacy, Procurement, Renewable Energy, Restructuring & Insolvency, Tax, Technology, United States

Emission Limit Implementation Recommendations from Alberta’s Oil Sands Advisory Group

June 30, 2017

On June 16, 2017, the Alberta Oil Sands Advisory Group (OSAG) released its report, Recommendations on Implementation of the Oil Sands Emissions Limit Established by the Alberta Climate Leadership Plan, which sets out recommendations for implementing and remaining within the 100 megatonne (MT) per year greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions limit for the oil sands sector (Emissions Limit) articulated in Alberta’s…

Posted by:

Dufferin Harper, Katie Slipp and Sarah Nykolaishen

Posted in: Corporate & Commercial, Energy - Regulatory, Environmental, Oil & Gas, Power

Alberta Caps Power Prices with Bill 16

June 12, 2017

On June 7, 2017, Bill 16, titled “An Act to Cap Regulated Electricity Rates” (Bill 16), received royal assent and is now law. Bill 16 will impose a maximum rate of 6.8 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) for electricity consumers on the regulated rate option or RRO (a government-regulated rate that fluctuates monthly). The price cap comes on the back…

Posted by:

Peter Keohane, Chris Harris, Jackie Anderson and Andrew Brier (Summer Law Student)

Posted in: Corporate & Commercial, Energy - Regulatory, Power, Renewable Energy

Canada Publishes Technical Paper, Reveals Federal Carbon Pricing Plan

May 31, 2017

On May 18, 2017, Environment and Climate Change Canada released the Technical Paper on the Federal Carbon Pricing Backstop (Technical Paper), which provides an overview of the prospective federal carbon emissions pricing system and insights on how the federal carbon price will take shape. Canadian stakeholders, businesses and the public have been invited to provide comments on the Technical Paper…

Posted by:

Dufferin Harper, Doug Taylor, Anne-Catherine Boucher and Mathieu Nolin

Posted in: Energy - Regulatory, Environmental, Oil & Gas, Power

Alberta’s Power Reform: Implications for Electricity Providers and Consumers

May 1, 2017

A fundamental shift in the structure of Alberta’s electricity market is underway. The provincial government has promised to phase out the current energy-only market and replace it with a capacity market system, to be fully implemented by 2021. The transition was recommended by the Alberta Electric System Operator in its report, Alberta’s Wholesale Electricity Market Transition Recommendation. The change will…

Posted by:

Kyle Taylor and Christine Yick

Posted in: Corporate & Commercial, Energy - Regulatory, Environmental, Power, Renewable Energy