Electricity fees to keep going up, says forecaster

The head of the Canadian Electricity Association says Alberta customers can expect fees to continue going up in the future.

Jim Burpee told a Calgary audience on Thursday the province will need to keep developing its electricity grid because of a growing population, a booming economy and growth in the oil sands. 

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"It's all about having a reliable system for future generations because what we really value is reliability," said Burpee.

"With the investment going into transmission and in a lot of places, the growth in distribution as well, there's no question costs will go up."

Burpee says those increasing costs are expected to show up as fees on customers' bills.

Alberta already has a pair of north-south transmission lines in the works which will likely mean an additional three dollars a month for residential consumers.

Burpee estimates $350 billion will be spent on electricity infrastructure over the next 20 years across Canada.