The Daily Courier

Carbon levy urged for gas power plants

- By The Canadian Press

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.

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