Video

Threats to the electricity grid, explained

POV: you’re watching your daily ‘Love Island’ episode, while asking your AI-powered smart fridge what to make for dinner. You get a grid alert saying, ‘Hey, that’s a lot for me, man.’ Here’s what that means

By Drew Anderson and L. Manuel Baechlin

Aug. 27, 2026

Alberta can issue grid alerts when electricity demand threatens to outstrip supply — i.e. there’s risk of a blackout. This can happen for a number of reasons. 

A warming planet, with warmer summer months, can have you reaching for the AC remote. Our phones need charging and fridges need to stay plugged in. Add to the grid the data centres Alberta wants to build so we can ask our AI agent of choice to respond to our emails. The list goes on and on. 

And as much as the province would like to say it’s because of renewable energy projects, the data tells a different story. Prairies reporter Drew Anderson breaks it down in our latest video.

Want to make sure you don’t miss our latest work? Subscribe to our channel on YouTube and follow us on TikTok.

Video source notes
Corresponding time stampSource
00:27Alberta sets new record for peak electricity use
00:28Alberta sets all-time record for power consumption
00:52Alberta’s electricity grid is complicated
01:12A very involved provincial government
02:34Data from the grid operator (Alberta Electric System Operator)
02:43Surge of renewables started around 2020
02:55Monthly event logs from the grid operator
03:14Alberta Premier Danielle Smith blaming grid alerts on renewables
03:17Unplanned outages at natural gas facilities
03:25Renewable energy share climbed to 22 per cent in 2025
04:50Alberta’s new plan for its electricity market punishes renewables
05:11Pipeline agreement between Ottawa and Alberta
05:34Alberta’s seven-month moratorium on renewable energy projects
05:38Stiffer energy regulations in the province
05:41New rules under the restructured energy market
05:50Alberta’s push for data centres
06:00Alberta introduces new plan to incentivize data centres to power themselves

Thanks for watching!