TransAlta seeks 30-year hydro licences renewal

Summary#

TA ALBERTA HYDRO LP, by its general partner TA ALBERTA HYDRO INC. (also called TransAlta), filed an application on October 14, 2024 to renew water-power licences for the Kananaskis Falls and Horseshoe Falls hydroelectric plants under the Dominion Water Power Act. The company asks for a 30-year licence renewal with no changes to the plants; a public comment period runs for 30 days, from August 29, 2026 to September 29, 2026.

What it does#

• Seeks renewal of water-power licences for Kananaskis Falls and Horseshoe Falls under the Kananaskis Falls and Horseshoe Falls Water Power Regulations (SOR/97-473).
• Requests a 30-year term for the renewed licences.
• Confirms both plants are run-of-the-river facilities with generating capacity of 19 MW (Kananaskis) and 16.2 MW (Horseshoe).
• Says there are no proposed changes to the existing physical facilities or how the plants operate.
• Opens a 30-day period for comments, starting August 29, 2026 and ending September 29, 2026; comments go to the Director at Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs (contact details given in the Gazette notice).

Who's affected#

• TransAlta customers who get electricity from these plants and people who rely on the local grid in the Bow Valley corridor.
• Residents and local governments in the Municipal District of Bighorn No. 8 (where the facilities sit).
• The nearby Stoney Nakoda First Nation Reserves Nos. 142, 143, and 144, because the facilities sit adjacent to those reserves.
• People and groups concerned with the Bow River — for example, recreational users, anglers, and local environmental organizations — may be interested even though no operational changes are proposed.

Why it matters#

• A licence renewal for 30 years locks in who can operate these small hydro plants and for how long, affecting long-term electricity supply in the area.
• The application states there are no changes to the plants or their operations, so the company is not proposing to alter the facilities or how they use the river.
• The Canada Gazette notice creates a window (from August 29, 2026 to September 29, 2026) for the public and Indigenous communities to raise concerns or objections before a decision is made.
• Because the facilities are adjacent to Indigenous reserves, the renewal may be of particular interest to local Indigenous communities and any groups monitoring impacts on the river or cultural sites.