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Alberta’s long-term plan to overhaul its electricity sources could feel the ripple effects of an election fight in British Columbia over a massive hydroelectric project on the Peace River.

B.C. voters will go to the polls May 9, and the province’s top three parties have made an election issue of Site C, a hydro dam under construction on the Peace River near Fort St. John, B.C.

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Premier Christy Clark made a campaign stop at the dam April 18 and vows to push the project past the “point of no return,” arguing Site C is the best way to meet B.C.’s long-term energy needs and create jobs.

The fate of the project has consequences for Alberta. Economists say Site C could help backstop the province’s coal-power phase-out and eliminate a looming power surplus in B.C. But opposition parties across the border want it delayed or cancelled, and whether Alberta needs or wants the power is not yet clear.

Alberta’s NDP government aims to phase out coal-fired power by 2030 with a mix of renewable power and natural gas, which would back up intermittent sources like wind and solar.