E499 – Current & Critical – Mark Poweska, Powering Alberta: Strategies for a Sustainable and Reliable Energy Future
“It takes time to get to know the human beyond the job title. In our highly pressured, on-demand, all-the-time workplaces, we’ve become transactional.”
Mark clarifies the complexities of Alberta’s electricity system, explaining why it’s unique in its market-based structure compared to provinces like Ontario and BC. He explains how ENMAX operates across three business lines—generation, distribution, and retail—while also maintaining a regulated presence in Maine to balance its portfolio. The conversation also explores Alberta’s renewable energy trajectory, with Mark highlighting that the province has built more wind and solar generation in the past decade than any other region in Canada. Yet the limitations of renewable reliability—and the need for dispatchable, on-demand generation—remain top of mind. Mark also discusses Alberta’s current market redesign and what it will take to create the right investment signals for storage, nuclear, and grid modernization. At the heart of it all is a commitment to the Calgarians ENMAX serves. Mark emphasizes the importance of balancing affordability, sustainability, and reliability as Alberta continues to grow and electrify. With humor and humility, he unpacks the tough trade-offs behind our energy future and how ENMAX is planning for a smarter, more resilient grid.