ALBERTA — Corporate renewable energy procurement activity in Alberta declined sharply in 2025, falling by 99 percent compared with 2023 levels, according to the annual Renewables in Review report released by Business Renewables Centre-Canada.
Over the same period, Nova Scotia emerged as the country’s most active market for corporate clean energy procurement, marking the first time a province outside Alberta has led Canada in annual corporate procurement volume.
The report tracks publicly announced corporate renewable energy power purchase agreements (PPAs) across Canada. It found that only one such deal was announced in Alberta in 2025, a notable departure from the province’s previous position as the country’s leading market for corporate renewable energy procurement.
That single transaction originated from the carbon dioxide removal sector, indicating that while new forms of demand are beginning to appear, traditional corporate buyers remain largely inactive.
Jorden Dye, Director of Business Renewables Centre-Canada, said the decline reflects prolonged policy uncertainty affecting the province’s clean energy market.
He noted that unresolved questions around electricity market design, transmission access, and carbon pricing have contributed to a sustained slowdown in commercial renewable energy transactions, which had previously supported billions of dollars in private-sector investment.
In contrast, Nova Scotia recorded significant activity through its Green Choice Program, which enabled the development of 262 megawatts of new wind capacity in 2025.
All of the projects were co-owned by Mi’kmaw communities. Eleven buyers participated in the program, including both public institutions and private corporations, highlighting a procurement model that allows organizations to access renewable electricity through a centralized provincial framework.
Between January 2019 and March 31, 2025, corporate buyers across Canada contracted approximately 3.73 gigawatts of renewable energy through PPAs, supporting the development of 4.77 gigawatts of generation capacity.
These projects collectively produce an estimated 14,700 gigawatt-hours of electricity annually, enough to supply approximately 1.9 million homes. Over that period, renewable energy development supported an estimated 7,000 jobs and $7.5 billion in capital investment nationwide.
In Alberta alone, operating wind and solar projects generated roughly $70 million in municipal tax revenues in 2025.
Business Renewables Centre-Canada is an initiative of the Pembina Institute. The organization works with businesses, institutions, and renewable energy developers to support access to renewable electricity across Canada, including guidance on power purchase agreements and procurement strategies.
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