In a world wrestling with climate targets and energy transitions, Canada already has a superpower that we do not talk about nearly enough: zero-carbon electricity.
Let’s start with the basics. According to recent data from Orennia, Canada generates over 80 per cent of its electricity from zero carbon sources, making Canada a global leader. This isn’t just good for the climate; it is a competitive edge. Most of this comes from longstanding hydroelectric systems in provinces like British Columbia, Quebec and Manitoba, and from Ontario’s blend of hydro and nuclear power. Globally, the average is just under 40 per cent, with many climate-leading European countries still catching up.
Alberta, while not leading in this metric, is playing an increasingly important role.
Canada’s leadership isn’t limited to wealthy countries. Of the nearly 200 countries in the world, only a handful; like Norway, Iceland, and a few others; generate a higher percentage of clean electricity, often due to unique geothermal or hydro conditions. However, Canada stands alone in combining size, industrial complexity and an already-clean power grid. That is a rare feat and it is one that Alberta, too, has begun to contribute to meaningfully.
We don’t celebrate this enough.
Too often, the conversation around Canada’s climate role is one of guilt and deficit. Yet on electricity; the foundation of a decarbonized economy; we are not behind. We are ahead. That matters. A clean grid means we can electrify industry, transportation and heating faster and more affordably than most other countries. It means lower lifecycle emissions for everything we manufacture, mine or grow. It means we have a real, bankable story to tell the world about responsible growth.
Alberta has cut its power sector’s carbon intensity by more than 50 per cent over the last decade. While we may not lead the country with zero-carbon electricity, Alberta leads in many other areas from carbon capture innovation to energy exports and economic growth. As Canadians, we all contribute to the bigger picture. Instead of singling out provinces, let’s celebrate the fact that Canada leads the developed world in carbon-free electricity generation. Alberta’s deregulated power market has enabled innovation, attracted private capital and driven cost-competitive clean energy solutions.
The investors are watching. So are global supply chain partners. Canadian products – whether beef, aluminum or bitumen – carry a smaller emissions footprint simply because of the electricity behind them. That gives us a strategic advantage.
We need to harness that edge. That means telling our story louder. It means making our clean electricity a core part of our brand, both nationally and globally. It means continuing to invest in infrastructure and innovation that ensures this competitive advantage grows, not shrinks.
At Alberta Enterprise Group, we believe in leaning into our strengths. Clean, reliable, zero-carbon electricity is one of them. Let’s stop whispering about it and start leading with it.
Canada did not stumble into this leadership position; it built it over decades. Now, it is time to own it.
