Ottawa is considering changing its proposed clean electricity policy. The decision was taken after consultation with the industry, which will open the door to greater flexibility for individual power producers.
Environment and Climate Change Canada spokesperson Oliver Anderson said, “We can still achieve the same goal.”
The proposed changes were published on February 16. It will change several aspects of the original version of the policy that industry and provincial governments had raised objections to. It is proposed to exclude concentration-based norms from greenhouse gas emission limits.
This means that the generators will not have the obligation to meet the standard standard of carbon emissions per unit of electricity. Instead, each producer will be assigned a maximum annual emission limit. The government is also considering changes in how new centers will be brought under this policy.
Under the earlier scheme, operators were concerned about the terms of the policy. It mandated that all electricity generated by 2035 be either clean or decarbonised. They argued that construction of projects that had already begun would lag behind facilities and would be stalled if the new rules came into force.
The government is now proposing timed exemptions to the policy for fossil fuel producers. It will be effective before 2025.
Anderson said fossil fuel-based power plants built before 2025 would be able to continue generating power for 20 years without coming under the policy. The start date may vary slightly.
Industries that generate their own electricity and supply the surplus to the grid will also be affected by the proposal. Earlier all electricity generated was covered under this policy.
