Federal Government Launches Clean Electricity Standard Consultation
Today, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault launched a consultation to inform the development of Canada’s Clean Electricity Standard (CES). The goal is to drive progress towards a net-zero electricity grid by 2035. This work on clean electricity is seen by the government as critical to reaching Canada’s emissions reduction target of 40 to 45 percent below 2005 levels by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2050.
The discussion paper outlines the government’s rationale for moving forward with the CES, provides an overview of the regulatory approach, and poses key questions to solicit input from stakeholders and other levels of government.
While the paper sets out the intention and the broad parameters, it leaves much room for input on the details, including the scope of coverage and certain compliance flexibilities. To this end, the government is asking for input from stakeholders on a number of topics, including:
- the general design of the regulation;
- compliance flexibilities;
- alignment with the carbon pricing backstop system;
- the treatment of natural gas generation;
- the treatment of industry, private general and remote generation; and,
- the treatment of biomass.
Comments are due to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) by April 15, 2022, a particularly tight turn-around given the significant implications for Canada’s electricity sector.
