Important Documents

July 23, 2024 | 2025 BDP Strategic Discussions Summary, Frequently Asked Questions posted

Purpose

The purpose of the 2025 Budget Development Process (BDP) is to consult with industry on the AESO’s areas of focus and proposed budget and forecasts for the upcoming year as per the Transmission Regulation. The 2025 BDP will be used to establish the AESO’s business plan and budget for 2025 as well as the forecast for 2026 and 2027.

We thank stakeholders for sharing their valuable perspectives in the 2024 BDP and for continuing to participate as we shape the consultation process to fit the need and current environment and to elevate the value proposition. We are grateful for stakeholders' alignment and support in relation to the strategic areas of focus as identified by the AESO. For additional details, view the Letter to Stakeholders from Mike Law, President and CEO.

Enhancements

The AESO has dedicated efforts to enhance its BDP process for the last two years and has made significant changes. Our commitment to more efficient stakeholder engagement remains, and especially in 2023, stakeholders had unparalleled interaction with AESO across various levels. We have taken into consideration stakeholder feedback as well as completed an internal review, and to continue gaining efficiencies, we are making the following improvements to the BDP consultation:

Initiating a new three-year General and Administrative and Capital budget forecast cycle starting with the 2025 budget

• Stakeholders have asked for this longer time horizon to have an understanding of our outlook and to ensure our budget is reasonable. This outlook extension will help stakeholders better plan and prioritize their activities.

Streamlining the consultation process to fit the need and current environment, and to elevate the value proposition

• This includes giving stakeholders more time to digest the Budget and Forecast information shared to allow for more meaningful participation in the consultation. We are introducing a narrated presentation and a forum to post questions a month in advance of the stakeholder session and providing a continuously updated resource of frequently asked questions to elevate discussions to strategic topics and avoid repetition. This document will be updated as pertinent themes emerge and it can be viewed under FAQ on the right-hand side of the page.
• Understanding that stakeholders have had ample opportunity to review the Budget information, we will host a hybrid Q&A stakeholder session focused on discussion, answering clarifying questions and fostering relationships.
• Removing the November 1:1 stakeholder meetings. Results of an internal review illustrated this step in the consultation process was not providing further budget consultation or clarification value.