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Alberta has appointed the retired head of North American’s largest power grid as its point person as the NDP government pushes to fulfil its campaign promise to fast-track the phase out of coal-fired power across the province.

Terry Boston, the former president and chief executive of PJM Interconnection, will hold discussions with plant owners, the Alberta Electric System Operation and the government to develop options to phase out coal-fired emissions by 2030 as part of Alberta’s climate change strategy.

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Boston will be paid up to $600,000 for his work. He is expected to report back to the province with several options by the end of September.

He will focus his attention on six of Alberta’s 18 coal-fired power plants that had been expected to continue operating past 2030. The dozen other plants in the province were already expected to shut down before that deadline, under federal regulations.