CAPP, Clean Energy Canada react to Clean Electricity Regulations

By Brian Zinchuk

CALGARY – Reaction was coming in fast and furious to the long-awaited announcement of federal Clean Electricity Regulations on Aug. 10.

Lisa Baiton, CEO of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers said in an emailed statement:

“Today’s announcement from Minister Guilbeault on the Clean Electricity Regulations (CER) will have significant implications for the energy and electricity sectors. We are reviewing these regulations closely and will be consulting with our members. CAPP is concerned that the proposal, as currently drafted, will limit the ability to use natural gas as a back-up to renewable energy post-2035. Canada produces some of the world’s lowest-emitting natural gas and is a critical part of our country’s energy security, including acting as a back-up for the intermittency challenges of renewable power. We are also concerned that the proposal will have investment impacts, causing further uncertainty in the Canadian energy sector. CAPP intends to actively participate in the consultation to address the concerns on behalf of our members.”

Lisa Baiton is the new president and CEO of CAPP.

Evan Pivnick, clean energy program manager at Clean Energy Canada, mirrored many of the statements in the government press release. He said in an emailed statement:

“With today’s announcement, Canada’s federal government recognizes the critical importance of clean electricity for this country’s future—its importance to industries and our competitiveness, to affordability and energy security, and to our climate efforts.

“Clean electricity is the foundation upon which the entire energy transition is built. Cleaner cars, cleaner industries, cleaner homes: all of it needs, and is powered by, clean electricity. No government can credibly say it’s working toward a net-zero economy by 2050 while blindly opposing a 2035 target for a clean grid. Put simply, one foot needs to go before the other.

“The Clean Electricity Regulations acknowledge that each province and territory has a unique electricity mix and therefore starts from a different place. The regulations provide the flexibility to accommodate different electricity grids while recognizing that provinces and territories are necessary partners in this common pursuit. To this end, the federal government is also offering funding through recently announced Budget 2023 tax and financing support.

“Canada isn’t acting alone. Every G7 country is shooting for a clean grid by 2035. Our friends in the U.S. are investing hundreds of billions to see it happen, while big companies like Volkswagen are citing clean electricity as a key reason they’re investing in Canada and creating local jobs. And it’s not just our auto sector. It’s green steel in Ontario. It’s a battery supply chain in Quebec and across Canada. It’s solar manufacturing in Manitoba. It’s green hydrogen in the Maritimes.

“The advantages are many, just as the imperative is clear to Canadians, 71% of whom support the new Clean Electricity Regulations and their aim of achieving a net-zero grid by 2035.

“The work of building a robust, secure, and affordable clean electricity grid is far from done, and we look forward to the finalization of these important regulations, but today’s announcement is more than a symbolic step forward. It’s a real step forward—for families, for our economy, and for the climate.”