The Liberal government’s Clean Electricity Regulations, which aim to eliminate the use of natural gas or coal in electricity grids by 2035, might not entirely rule out natural gas-fired power generation if producers embrace costly carbon capture technology.
At least that’s what federal Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson claimed in an interview with Pipeline Online during his visit to Saskatchewan this week.
Wilkinson met with the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce in Regina to discuss his government’s “just transition” for the energy industry.
The minister addressed the Province of Saskatchewan’s concerns about a discussion paper on the Clean Electricity Regulations.
“I wouldn’t jump to conclusions. There is no clean electricity regulation that’s been published to date. So, I think, I would, if I were you, I would wait to see what the regulation says,” Wilkinson told the outlet.
“But I would suspect that the regulation will actually allow for continued use of gas, particularly in the context of where you’re actually doing carbon capture.”
Eliminating natural gas from the energy supply would be challenging for Saskatchewan and Alberta, which rely heavily on fossil fuels for their electricity supply, especially when renewable sources such as wind and solar are not reliable.
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a technology that seizes carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and other industrial sources, then injects, and permanently stores, them underground.
Saskatchewan has already made headway in CCS technology with its Boundary Dam coal-fired power station near Estevan.
Wilkinson’s latest comments contrast Liberal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault, who threatened premiers with potential jail time for refusing to follow the federal government’s clean electricity laws.
“We’ve regulated the ban on coal through (Canadian Environmental Protection Act), which is a criminal tool that the federal government has,” said Guilbeault.
“So not complying with this regulation would be a violation of Canada’s Criminal Code.”
