Electricity export permit applications to the United States

Summary#

Two companies have asked the Canada Energy Regulator (CER) for long-term permission to export large amounts of electricity from Canada to the United States. EDF Trading North America, LLC applied on 1 October 2026 to export up to 5,000,000 MWh of firm energy and up to 5,000,000 MWh of interruptible energy per year for 10 years. THN Capital US LLC applied on 1 October 2026 to export up to 2,100,000 MWh per year (combined firm and interruptible) for 10 years. The CER is asking the public and interested parties for comments before it decides.

What it does#

• The EDF Trading North America, LLC application requests authorization to export:
  • up to 5,000,000 MWh of firm energy annually, and
  • up to 5,000,000 MWh of interruptible energy annually,
  • for a period of 10 years.
  • Written submissions are due by 31 October 2026.
  • Applicant replies to certain issues are due by 15 November 2026.
• The THN Capital US LLC application requests authorization to export:
  • up to 2,100,000 MWh of combined firm and interruptible energy annually,
  • for a period of 10 years.
  • Written submissions are due by 10 November 2026.
  • Applicant replies to certain issues are due by 25 November 2026.
• The Commission of the Canada Energy Regulator is taking comments now instead of immediately issuing a permit or sending the matter to a licensing process.
• Both applications and instructions for filing are publicly available on the CER website. Each applicant will send a copy of its application to anyone who requests it by email.

Who's affected#

• Provincial governments and provincial electricity systems, especially those other than the province where the electricity would be exported from — the Commission specifically asks for views on effects on other provinces.
• Organizations or businesses that have told the applicants they are interested in buying electricity for use in Canada. The Commission is asking whether those potential buyers were told about the quantities available and whether they had a fair chance to buy.
• Electricity traders, exporters, and market participants who track cross‑border flows and long‑term contracts.
• Grid operators and utilities involved in scheduling and transmission planning.
• General consumers are not directly named in the notice, though large export volumes could indirectly affect markets.

Why it matters#

• These are large, long-term export requests (two separate 10‑year proposals and totals in the millions of megawatt‑hours), so they could influence how much electricity stays in Canada versus goes to the U.S. market.
• The CER is asking whether Canadian buyers were given a fair chance to buy the electricity first. That affects market access for Canadian consumers and businesses that may want supply.
• Public comments now can shape whether a permit is issued and under what conditions. If you represent a province, a buyer, or a market participant, this is the time to state concerns or support.