Canada invests in Red Deer's electricity grid to enhance reliability and efficiency

RED DEER, AB, Aug. 24, 2026 /CNW/ -- When it comes to electricity, Canada starts from a place of strength: an over 80 percent clean grid with the lowest residential electricity costs in the G7, the second-lowest industrial electricity costs in the G7 and the OECD, and the second-highest share of clean electricity generation in the G7. Now faced with global volatility and growing power demand from Canadian homes and industry, we are growing and modernizing our electricity grids to ensure that Canadians and Albertans can access affordable, reliable electricity for years to come.

That's why today, the Honourable Shafqat Ali, President of the Treasury Board, announced nearly $10 million in funding from Natural Resources Canada's Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program (SREPs) to modernize the City of Red Deer's electricity system. 

This funding will allow the city of Red Deer to replace outdated, costly and hard-to-repair technology and more efficiently use energy, through the deployment of over 45,000 smart meters, and the installation of the communications equipment needed to support the smart meter network. This will help Red Deer detect power outages faster, improve billing accuracy for families and businesses, enable real-time monitoring of the electricity system, and enhance overall grid reliability and efficiency.

As outlined in Powering Canada Strong: A National Strategy for an Electrified Canadian Economy, our upcoming national electricity strategy will feature initiatives like this, that will modernize and grow our electricity system.

The Government of Canada is building in Alberta and across the country to strengthen the local grid and support renewable energy integration while ensuring reliable and resilient power and contributing stronger, more secure energy for all.

Quotes

"Canada is building the infrastructure we need for a prosperous, affordable, secure future. By investing in modern electricity grids, we are strenthening reliability to deliver electricity efficiently and affordably to Canadians for decades to come."

The Honourable Tim Hodgson
Minister of Energy and Natural Resources

"By investing in smart electricity meters in Red Deer, we are improving reliability, reducing outages and building the electricity system Canada needs to become an energy superpower."

The Honourable Shafqat Ali
President of the Treasury Board

"This nearly $10-million investment from Natural Resources Canada's Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program will help Red Deer modernize its electricity system and better serve our residents and businesses. Advanced metering technology will improve reliability, support faster outage response, and give us the tools we need to build a more efficient and resilient utility for the future. We're grateful to the Government of Canada for partnering with us on this important project."

Cindy Jefferies
Mayor of Red Deer

Quick Facts

• The Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program (SREPs) is a $4.5-billion program designed to reduce emissions and enable a more modern, reliable electricity grid system by supporting the deployment of grid modernization, energy storage and renewables in every region of Canada.
• On May 14, the Government of Canada launched Powering Canada Strong: A National Strategy for an Electrified Canadian Economy. This plan will double the capacity of our grid by 2050 and supply clean, reliable, affordable power across the country for decades to come.
• To develop this strategy, the government is launching consultations with provinces, territories, Indigenous Peoples, utilities and unions to work together to identify the actions needed to double our grid most effectively and affordably.
• Canada's new government is already advancing strategic investments in the modernization and expansion of Canada's electricity infrastructure, including:
  • Major clean economy Investment Tax Credits, such as those for clean electricity, clean technology and carbon capture, utilization and storage.
  • Strategic financing through the Canada Infrastructure Bank (with a $20-billion clean energy target), the Canada Growth Fund and the Indigenous Loan Guarantee Program (with the envelope doubled from $5 billion to $10 billion).
  • Programming targeted at priority areas in the electricity sector, including the $4.5-billion Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program.
  • A new Productivity Super-Deduction — a set of enhanced tax incentives covering all new capital investment that allows businesses to write off a larger share of the cost of these investments right away.
  • The Electric Vehicle Affordability Program, which makes it more affordable for Canadians to buy or lease electric vehicles.

Related Products

• Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program
• Red Deer Advanced Metering Infrastructure
• Powering Canada Strong: A National Strategy for an Electrified Canadian Economy

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SOURCE Natural Resources Canada

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