REM Technical Design
Important Information and Deadlines
August 9, 2024
August 6, 2024
- Intent to Register for fall engagement due *NEW*
July 24, 2024 | Agreement to Participate in fall engagement sessions posted *NEW*
July 19, 2024 | Information Session video recording posted
July 18, 2024
- Engagement Timeline
- Shorter Settlement page live
- Intertie Participation Options page live
July 11, 2024
- Stakeholder Update
- Direction Letter posted
- Presentation for July 18 Information Session posted
Background
Since announcements made at IPPSA in March 2024, the industry has had the time to digest the Government of Alberta's Interim Market Power Mitigation and Supply Cushion Regulations, as well as the AESO’s Restructured Energy Market (REM) Recommendation Report. On April 22 and 23, 2024, the AESO brought the Market Pathways Executive Working Group (EWG) back together to:
- Build deeper understanding of the REM, its rationale, intent, and the potential impacts on Alberta’s energy market and industry;
- Discuss and begin to identify the key design questions most impactful and important to industry that need to be answered as we move forward with the REM;
- Understand which elements stakeholder support and which elements stakeholders have concerns with and why; and
- Review the AESO's high-level timeline and determine how to best engage on the technical market design and rules, in an accelerated timeline in accordance with the direction letter provided by the Minister.
After the EWG session in April the AESO sought feedback from EWG members and all market participants on the REM Recommendation Report through a survey. The AESO is reviewing survey results which will be shared with the Ministry of Affordability & Utilities in May. Details from the survey results will help to inform the engagement plan moving forward.
Engagement Timeline ![](https://s3.ca-central-1.amazonaws.com/ehq-production-canada/6c97694a000147485f9cb11d5884c9449948e253/original/1721853446/5c80f2f997a11ab59a71e0a385a09622_Engagement_Schedule_Updated_July_24__2024.png?1721853446)
Important Information and Deadlines
August 9, 2024
August 6, 2024
- Intent to Register for fall engagement due *NEW*
July 24, 2024 | Agreement to Participate in fall engagement sessions posted *NEW*
July 19, 2024 | Information Session video recording posted
July 18, 2024
- Engagement Timeline
- Shorter Settlement page live
- Intertie Participation Options page live
July 11, 2024
- Stakeholder Update
- Direction Letter posted
- Presentation for July 18 Information Session posted
Background
Since announcements made at IPPSA in March 2024, the industry has had the time to digest the Government of Alberta's Interim Market Power Mitigation and Supply Cushion Regulations, as well as the AESO’s Restructured Energy Market (REM) Recommendation Report. On April 22 and 23, 2024, the AESO brought the Market Pathways Executive Working Group (EWG) back together to:
- Build deeper understanding of the REM, its rationale, intent, and the potential impacts on Alberta’s energy market and industry;
- Discuss and begin to identify the key design questions most impactful and important to industry that need to be answered as we move forward with the REM;
- Understand which elements stakeholder support and which elements stakeholders have concerns with and why; and
- Review the AESO's high-level timeline and determine how to best engage on the technical market design and rules, in an accelerated timeline in accordance with the direction letter provided by the Minister.
After the EWG session in April the AESO sought feedback from EWG members and all market participants on the REM Recommendation Report through a survey. The AESO is reviewing survey results which will be shared with the Ministry of Affordability & Utilities in May. Details from the survey results will help to inform the engagement plan moving forward.
Engagement Timeline ![](https://s3.ca-central-1.amazonaws.com/ehq-production-canada/6c97694a000147485f9cb11d5884c9449948e253/original/1721853446/5c80f2f997a11ab59a71e0a385a09622_Engagement_Schedule_Updated_July_24__2024.png?1721853446)
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Information Session | July 18, 2024
CLOSED: This discussion has concluded.Purpose
The AESO will host a virtual information session from 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, July 18, 2024 to provide an update on the REM and share an overview of upcoming engagement opportunities and associated timelines.
Registration
Please click here to register for this event.
Materials
Presentation available under AESO Materials.
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Stakeholder Updates
July 24, 2024
The AESO has published the Intent to Register and Agreement to Participate for the fall REM engagements. If you're planning to attend the engagements in-person or virtually, please fill out the Intent to Register form by August 6, 2024. The Agreement to Participate document applies if you're attending any REM engagements in 2024. Ensure you have read and understood it before you submit the Intent to Register form.
July 11, 2024
The Minister of Affordability and Utilities, Nathan Neudorf, has provided the AESO direction on government policy decisions on our path forward for the Restructured Energy Market (REM) design (Direction Letter).
With this clarity, we are pleased to share that the REM technical design will include the following workstreams:
- Mandatory Day Ahead Market
- Energy and Reserve Pricing
- Dispatch Optimization
- Market Power Mitigation
- Intertie Participation NEW!
- Shorter Settlement
We have adjusted our REM recommendation and design consultation in response to stakeholder feedback and policy decisions. We appreciate your patience and ongoing contributions as we move through this process together. Administrative Scarcity Pricing has been removed from the design, however new reserve products are still required for reliability and will be addressed under Energy and Reserve Pricing.We will cover each of the workstreams in more detail at the July 18 Information Session and provide our revised engagement approach then.
Written consultation for Shorter Settlement continues and Intertie Participation will kick off shortly. Option papers for both will be shared on July 18 with comments due by August 9. Detailed information about the remaining workstreams will be released on August 16, with the first round of written feedback on those due September 6. Interested stakeholders will then have an opportunity to participate in a more comprehensive series of multi-day in-person sessions and written feedback cycles from September through the end of the year.
We remain committed to consultation that prioritizes open participation, transparency and adaptability and we look forward to working with you to ensure we build a market framework that delivers certainty and economic value for industry and Albertans into the future.
The Transmission Regulation decisions provided in the Minister letter give AESO and stakeholders a view into the changing policy that the REM will need to be designed within. The government supports continued progress of the technical REM design; however more clarity/decisions are needed to fully assess how AESO transmission planning, tariff and system access will be considered and impacted.
To register for the July 18 Information Session, click here.
June 19, 2024
While the AESO has limited details to share on the REM technical design and the engagement schedule at this time, we recognize that many parties are interested in updates to support work planning through the coming months.
The AESO continues to progress design work on the REM in parallel with government policy. We anticipate releasing content through July and August for review and written feedback and will initiate the more time-intensive engagement sessions in the second week of September. The earlier content will focus on Interties and Shorter Settlement, with all other market components to follow.We remain committed to engaging stakeholders in a timely and comprehensive manner to develop Alberta’s market design and will share more details as they become available.
May 22, 2024
On Friday, May 17, 2024, AESO President and CEO Mike Law and Nicole LeBlanc, Vice President of Markets met with a select group of industry executives representing companies that have made significant investments in Alberta’s grid and/or represent the consumer voice of Albertans, to discuss two options for how energy market offers, offer mitigation and scarcity pricing (pricing options) could be treated within the Restructured Energy Market (REM), and a third REM alternative pricing option.
The three options are based on stakeholder feedback received at the April 2024 Executive Working Group meetings and through the industry-wide survey on the REM. Click Pricing and Mitigation Options and ORDC Technical Primer to view materials provided to meeting representatives.
The organizations that attended the meeting are Alberta Direct Connect Consumer Association, AltaLink, ATCO, Canadian Renewable Energy Association, Capital Power, EDF Renewables, Enfinite, ENMAX, EPCOR, FortisAlberta, Heartland Generation, Industrial Power Consumer Association of Alberta, Kineticor Energy, Maxim Power, Suncor Energy, TransAlta, and the Utilities Consumer Advocate. The Market Surveillance Administrator attended as an observer.
Through the course of the discussion, there was consensus amongst stakeholders that the current planned timelines for developing a detailed market design are very aggressive. While the stakeholders acknowledged that the design timelines are necessarily tight in order to achieve the government objective of a 2026 implementation, they indicated timelines will make it challenging to ensure that full analysis and thorough consultation on critical components of the REM is achieved.
Of the participating stakeholders that were willing to state a preference at the meeting, the REM alternative had the most support, however many participants were unwilling to commit without further detail or supported the REM structure.
For those stakeholders who did prefer the REM alternative, a major rationale was that it most closely aligns with the industry structure they elected to invest in, and they see that as a preferable path forward to investor certainty and easier implementation.
The AESO has shared this feedback with government to inform their policy making.
The AESO will continue to progress design work and share more information on the engagement and design in June. Please watch this page for more details over the coming weeks.
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Level of Engagement
Consult: Gather input and feedback from stakeholders
Refer to the AESO’s Engagement Framework for our approach to engagement
Key Dates
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July 2024
Proposed REM Technical Design Lifecycle
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Design Development | March - June 2024
REM Technical Design has finished this stageMilestones
- Build understanding of REM
- Gather feedback on overall REM
- Consult on engagement approach
- Kick-off industry engagement
- Provide initial high-level design for consultation
Activities
- REM Stakeholder Survey | April 17 - 30
- EWG REM Kick-off Session | April 22 - 23
- CEO Meeting | May 17
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Engagement on Design | July - Oct. 2024
REM Technical Design is currently at this stageMilestones
- Build understanding on high-level design
- Consult on key focus areas of greatest impact/interest to stakeholders
- Report back on final design
Activities
- Information Session & Industry Update | July 18
- Written Stakeholder Feedback | July - Aug.
- Consultation Sessions | Sept.
- Written Stakeholder Feedback | Sept. - Oct.
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Detailed Design & Rules | Nov. 2024 - Mar./Apr. 2025
this is an upcoming stage for REM Technical DesignMilestones
- Inform stakeholders how final design has been implemented into rule language, request feedback on any gaps
- Anticipated REM Rule filing date: Q1/Q2 2025
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AUC Process | April - Sept. 2025
this is an upcoming stage for REM Technical Design -
Expected AUC Decision | Oct. - Nov. 2025
this is an upcoming stage for REM Technical Design -
REM Implementation | Dec. 2025 - 2026
this is an upcoming stage for REM Technical Design
Reference Materials
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Direction Letter from Minister 3July2024 [Posted: July 11, 2024] (231 KB) (pdf)
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Direction Letter from Minister 11March2024 [Posted: March 11, 2024] (551 KB) (pdf)
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Market Power Mitigation Regulation [Posted: March 11, 2024] (218 KB) (pdf)
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Supply Cushion Regulation [Posted: March 11, 2024] (198 KB) (pdf)
AESO Materials
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REM Intent to Register [Posted July 24, 2024]
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Agreement to Participate in REM Engagement [Posted July 24, 2024] (182 KB) (pdf)
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REM Engagement Updated Schedule [Posted July 24, 2024] (112 KB) (pptx)
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July 18, 2024 REM Industry Update Information Session Presentation [Posted: July 11, 2024] (1.2 MB) (pdf)
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CEO Meeting | May 17, 2024
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Shorter Settlement Cost Estimates Comment Matrix [Posted: May 17, 2024] (193 KB) (docx)
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REM EWG Stakeholder Session Presentation [Posted: April 17, 2024] (595 KB) (pdf)
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AESO REM IPPSA PPT Mike Law [Posted: March 11, 2024] (714 KB) (pdf)
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AESO REM Recommendation Report [Posted: March 11, 2024] (11.4 MB) (pdf)
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AESO Tx Policy Recommendation [Posted: March 11, 2024] (570 KB) (pdf)
Stakeholder Submissions
Who's Listening
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Manager, Market Design
Email spencer.hall@aeso.ca -
Director, Markets
Email Ruppa.Louissaint@aeso.ca
Related projects
Contact Us
If you have any other questions, please contact stakeholder.relations@aeso.ca