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New UserFor first time, Canada becomes a net importer of US coal-fired power
09 Jul 2024
So much for renewable power. Or even coal-fired emissions
reductions for that matter.
According to
government numbers, total electricity generation in Canada was down about 6.9%
in April, continuing a trend that began earlier this year. Consequently
provinces like Ontario and Quebec were forced to import higher emitting juice
from the US.
In concert
with the reduced output, Canada imports were up 64.4% in the same period. The
irony is that US power production is even more dependent on the fossil fuels
Ottawa is aiming to phase out.
Statistics
Canada blamed the decline on droughts that reduced hydro-electric capacity —
about two third of all electricity in Canada comes from dams — as well as
maintenance at nuclear power stations in Ontario and New Brunswick.
Alberta’s electricity
emissions are down more than half since closing the last coal plant last month.
But Philip
Cross with the McDonald-Laurier Institute also blamed “the shortcomings of an
energy strategy that now emphasizes decarbonization over energy security,
leaving customers vulnerable to supply shortfalls and higher prices.”
In an op-ed,
Cross said Canada’s plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions largely depends on
hydro to supply most of the country’s rapidly growing power needs — especially
with mandates for electric vehicles.
“Electrifying
our homes and vehicles while using energy-hungry technology implies a massive
increase in our electricity consumption,” he wrote.
While critics
of wind and solar rightly emphasize the intermittent nature of those sources,
Cross argues that the reduction in hydro capacity illustrates how it too, can
be an unreliable power source.
Philip Cross, McDonald
Laurier-InstituteMcDonald-Laurier Institute
“Canada’s
shift to being a net importer of electricity so far this year is a reminder
that we have much work to do to increase production, especially since importing
American electricity means relying on high-emission fossil fuels to generate
power.”
Philip Cross, McDonald
Laurier-Institute
Unfortunately
for the brain trust in Ottawa, the only other sources of reliable baseload
power are coal or natural gas. And indeed, electricity emissions in
jurisdictions like Alberta are down by more than half by converting the grid
almost exclusively to gas after closing the last coal fired plant in June.
However,
Alberta’s “near-death” power grid experience last winter, he said, serves as an
example of a jurisdiction that has had sober second thoughts.
“Only recently
have governments begun to realize projected electricity demands far exceed
supplies. That is why Ontario and Quebec recently announced ambitious and expensive
plans to boost generation,” he said