Coal Use in Alberta

Coal is one of the most abundant resources in our province - Canada has the 10th largest coal reserves in the world and 70% of that coal is found in Alberta (Alberta Energy, 2007). Currently, coal is responsible for producing 74% of Alberta’s electricity (The Pembina Institute, n.d.).  Despite coal’s abundance in our province and our reliance on it, its use may ultimately be limited by the fact that coal is a dirty energy source and not a very energy efficient one. Approximately two-thirds of the energy produced by coal is lost through smoke stacks in the coal plants (The Pembina Institute, n.d.).

Alberta Energy. (2007). What is coal? Retrieved December 1, 2010, from http://www.energy.alberta.ca/coal/645.asp.

The Pembina Institute. (n.d.). Greening the Grid: Fact Sheet. Retrieved December 1, 2010, from http://pubs.pembina.org/reports/greeningthegrid-fs.pdf.