Provinces follow divergent paths on fossil fuel

Sask. clings to coal as Alberta moves to phase it out, writes

On May 1, Alberta announced the retirement of its second-last coal-fired power plant, a significant milestone in its ambitious phaseout of coal from its energy supply years ahead of schedule. Now Alberta has only one coal power plant, which is also slated for retirement this year.

Then, on May 2, came a report disclosing that the carbon capture and storage (CCS) project at Boundary Dam 3 in Saskatchewan continues to miss emissions reduction goals.

Until recently, coal was Alberta's primary electricity source. Its accelerated phaseout proves that drastic emissions reductions are achievable even in carbon-intensive sectors when there is intent, and industry and government priorities align.

In contrast, Saskatchewan is adamantly dragging its heels with Premier Scott Moe putting up an absurd stance that he would defy federal regulations by continuing to operate coal plants beyond 2030, daring the federal government to take action against him.

“Come get me,” is Moe's stance, literally.

The province's power generation plan released last May includes a goal of a net-zero electrical grid by 2050. That's 15 years later than the federal target. So far, Saskpower has only committed to reducing emissions from its facilities by “at least 50 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030.”

The federal government mandates coal plants to shut down by the end of 2029 unless equipped with CCS technology, aiming for a net-zero power grid by 2035. Moe insists Saskatchewan has the right to operate the facilities until the end of their life.

In Saskatchewan, only the Boundary Dam 3 plant has CCS. Now, the effectiveness of that too is under scrutiny following the report revealing its carbon capture rate is around 57 per cent, far below the claimed 90 per cent.

Saskatchewan's power grid heavily relies on fossil fuels, with Saskpower generating 32 per cent of its total production from coal alone.

Despite a 2015 commitment to source half of its capacity from renewables by 2030, progress has been slow, particularly in solar energy.

Saskatchewan ranks ninth in solar power installations nationwide despite its highest potential.

We also hold the unfortunate distinction of having the highest per capita emissions in Canada. As per the Canada Energy Regulator, Saskatchewan's per capita emission is 55.9 tonnes of CO2E, more than triple the national average of 17.7 tonnes per capita.

The major culprits are oil and gas (26 per cent), agriculture (25 per cent), and electricity (19 per cent).

In the electricity sector, Saskatchewan was the second-highest emitter after Alberta. But with Alberta's recent aggressive action on coal phaseout, these rankings may have shifted. As updated data becomes available, Saskatchewan may face the unfortunate reality of being the top emitter in these metrics.

Saskatchewan's power sector emitted 12.6 million tonnes of CO2E in 2020, accounting for 22 per cent of Canada's total emissions from power generation.

This, from a province with a population of just 1.2 million people, underscores the need for urgent action.

The impacts of climate change and drastic weather patterns that have become a norm worldwide are unmistakable in Saskatchewan too — dry spells followed by heavy rainfall, severe wildfires and the migration of pests.

Interestingly, the provincial budget for 2024-25 does not mention the words “climate change” even once. Instead of emissions reduction, funding is directed toward dealing with the consequences — addressing wildfire and crop failure.

I recently read a moving opinion piece on Starphoenix on how history will see the climate inaction of Saskatchewan as baffling.

We're in an environmental crisis. It's only April, and forest fires are raging in Western Canada. What's alarming is these zombie fires persisted through the winter. We had almost a snowless winter.

Our agricultural industry, situated on some of the world's finest land, relies heavily on billion-dollar subsidies to survive. All these are a direct fallout of climate change primarily driven by the burning of fossil fuels.

It's not the time for false bravado and daring. It's time to acknowledge the truth and embrace the responsibility for the sake of future generations.