The Pool Price in Alberta is the cost of electricity in real-time that is bought or sold on the power pool. Because electricity is sold, purchased, and generated in a competitive market, the AESO established this hourly real-time market rate. The chart on the left above lists the pool price, both actual and forecast, today as well as the rolling 30-day average. The table on the right displays the average, minimum, and maximum pool prices during different time ranges.
The Alberta Internal Load (AIL) is the measure that represents the electricity demand in MW in the province. According to the AESO, that represents, in an hour, system load plus load served by on-site generating units, including those within an industrial system and the City of Medicine Hat; and which the ISO, using SCADA data, calculates as the sum of the output of each generating unit in Alberta and the Fort Nelson area in British Columbia, plus import volumes and minus export volumes.
The Alberta Marginal Price, or System Marginal Price (SMP), is an equilibrium price that represents the intersection of supply and demand in real time in the Alberta electricity market. This is one of the components in the calculation of the Pool Price. The SMP is set every minute, and the Pool Price is calculated as the average of all 60 one-minute SMPs in each hour of the day. This chart displays the projected pool price for the following hour as of the present minute.
This chart is related to the real-time supply by fuel type. The Total Net Generation means the gross generation minus the asset service, while the Maximum Capability means the maximum quantity (MW) that the generators are physically capable of providing under desirable operating conditions, as well as under the applicable ISO rules and terms and conditions of the ISO tariff.
The historical monthly electricity market rate in Alberta. The historical variable rate is shown by adding ¢1.00/kWh to the AESO average wholesale price, and details electricity rate trends over time. You can enter a fixed rate in ¢/kWh in the field below the chart to check how it compares to the historical prices.
The historical monthly natural gas market rate in Alberta. The historical variable rate is shown by adding $1.00/GJ to the NGX average wholesale price, and details natural gas rate trends over time. You can enter a fixed rate in $/GJ in the field below the chart to check how it compares to the historical prices.
