CANADA NEEDS TO STRENGTHEN ITS CLEAN ELECTRICITY REGULATIONS TO ACHIEVE A NET-ZERO ELECTRICITY GRID BY 2035
Since their first draft from August 2023, the Federal government has proposed new changes to the Clean Electricity Regulations (CER). The CER are meant to phase out polluting power generation across the country - this is an essential element of any serious climate strategy. However, some provinces are already pushing to weaken the CER. Now, more than ever, the government must hold its ground and strengthen the regulations in order to achieve net-zero.
During the 2021 federal election, Prime Minister Trudeau promised to introduce a “Clean Electricity Standard that will set Canada on a path to cut more emissions by 2030 and to achieve a 100 per cent net-zero emitting electricity system by 2035.”
To deliver on its commitment to a net-zero grid, Canada must strengthen the draft Clean Electricity Regulations to:
- Include targets that ratchet down to spur the power sector to move toward net-zero before 2035.
- Ensure that no gas plant is able to operate after 2035 except in real emergencies.
- Make it clear that gas plants will pay the full carbon price for every tonne of CO2 released beginning in 2030.
- Remove loopholes that allow gas plants to use carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology (“abated” gas). So far, the use of CCS in the power sector has resulted in expensive failures. There are no existing commercial gas plants with successful CCS systems anywhere in the world. CCS for the power sector is a dead end – and a license to pollute. Canada should reject this pathway.
As the Federal government works on completing the final draft of its Clean Electricity Regulations, let’s encourage them to strengthen the rules to prohibit the building of new gas plants and to require provinces to achieve a zero emissions electricity grid by 2035.
Send a letter to Prime Minister Trudeau now demanding he deliver on his promises and provide strong regulations to move Canada to a clean electricity system!