Carbon levy urged for gas power plants
OTTAWA — Climate-change advocates and renewable-fuel producers want Ottawa to make sure new natural-gas power plants have to pay a price for every ounce of their greenhouse-gas emissions by 2030.
Canada is finalizing the regulations for its carbonpricing system for big industrial emitters. The rules will apply to any facility that produces at least 50,000 tonnes of emissions a year, including electricity generated by fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas and diesel. Ottawa is weighing the need to reduce Canada’s emissions against a desire not to hurt consumers by forcing electricity companies to raise rates too quickly.
The Canadian Council on Renewable Electricity — whose members include producers of wind, solar, hydro and tidal power — and some environment groups want Ottawa to make the system strong enough to discourage new fossil-fuel electricity plants.
“The idea is to send a signal that even for existing generation, the closer you get to 2030 the more emissions should be exposed to the carbon price,” said JeanFrancois Nolet, vice-president of the Canadian Wind Energy Association.