Canada targets 2030 for coal phase out

Canada will work towards phasing out coal-fired electricity from its energy system by 2030, the Canadian government has said. The decision is part of a series of measures pledged by Justin Trudeau’s administration to tackle climate change, which include plans to implement a carbon tax in the country.

The Canadian environment minister, Kathleen McKenna, said that the Canadian government will aim to generate 90% of Canada’s electricity from sustainable sources by 2030 – such as hydroelectric power, nuclear, solar and wind power.

It is expected that the coal phase out will reduce the country’s greenhouse gas emissions by more than five megatonnes by 2030. The Canadian state of Alberta is reported to already be on track to phase out coal-fired power plants by 2030 and has signed a deal with three major power producers to accelerate the process. 

Four of Canada’s ten provinces still use coal-based electricity, with coal power in Alberta, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia accounting for 10% of Canada’s total greenhouse gas emissions.

McKenna has said that provinces that want to continue burning coal should use carbon capture and storage (CCS). Canada already has a CCS demonstration project at the Boundary Dam power station ­– the largest coal-fired power station in the country – in Saskatchewan in west-central Canada. The power station is trialing a project to retrofit one of its plant units with CCS for enhanced oil recovery (see Energy World November 2014).