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Released November 22, 2016 | SUGAR LAND
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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Canada is taking a dramatic step forward in its plan to meet its long-term targets to reduce its emission of greenhouse gases. The nation plans to completely phase out traditional coal-fired power generation by 2030, according to an announcement from Environment Minister Catherine McKenna. The news on Monday got a mixed reaction from leaders in the four Canadian provinces that still utilize the fossil fuel. Industrial Info is tracking $1.13 billion in active projects at coal-fired power plants in Canada.
Provinces will have the choice to phase out coal-generated power entirely, replacing it with lower-emitting sources, or employing carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology at existing plants. McKenna said coal power in Canada currently represents about 10% of greenhouse-gas emissions coming from four provinces---Alberta, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Canada is the world's 12th-largest coal producer, and roughly three-quarters of the coal it imports originates in the U.S., according to The Wall Street Journal. The ruling Liberal Party, led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, had earlier introduced a nationwide carbon levy that will begin in 2018.
Five of the six largest coal-fired power plants in Canada are found in Alberta, which gets most of its energy from the fossil fuel. But Alberta's provisional government, which is headed by the left-leaning New Democratic Party (NDP), has agreed to the 2030 goal. The NDP was swept into power last year in a surprising landslide election, after a long period in which low commodity prices pummeled the province's economy and effectively kicked out the ruling conservative party, which had been in power for more than half a century.
ATCO Power Limited (Calgary, Alberta) runs Alberta's Sheerness Generating Station, which is located in Hanna, 200 kilometers northeast of Calgary. The company recently proposed an $18 million nitrogen oxide (NOx) controls refurbishment that would retrofit two tangential-fired, dry-bottom boilers with 64 advanced, low-NOx burners. The project still is being evaluated for its economic potential; if approved, it would not kick off until first-quarter 2019 at the earliest. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
Earlier this summer, TransCanada Corporation (TSX:TRP) (Calgary, Alberta) announced that it would end power purchase agreements (PPAs) to buy electricity from the Sheerness plant and two other coal-fired facilities in Alberta, according to CBC News. TransCanada blamed the rising costs associated with carbon-dioxide emissions, which it said would only go higher, singling out the NDP's proposed carbon tax; some experts and analysts, however, cited a significant decline in electricity prices, along with the lower cost natural gas and the increasing efficiency of gas-fired power plants, as the bigger reasons, according to CBC News.
The neighboring province of Saskatchewan derives about 40% of its energy from coal-fired power plants. Premier Brad Wall, of the conservative-leaning Saskatchewan Party, criticized the federal government for failing to adequately consult with provincial leaders beforehand, according to Canada's Financial Post.
SaskPower (Regina), the province's principal electric utility, installed a $1.5 billion carbon capture and storage (CCS) system at its coal-fired Boundary Dam Power Station in Estevan in October 2014. Last month, the utility announced that it had achieved its target of capturing 800,000 tonnes of CO2 in one year, according to the Regina Leader-Post.
"We set an internal target to hit 800,000 tonnes, which is a substantial improvement over last year's capture of about 426,000 tonnes," said Howard Matthews, vice-president of power production for SaskPower, to the Regina Leader-Post. He added that that facility, which initially experienced a flurry of delays and cost overruns in setting up the CCS, is "actually capturing more CO2 than required by the regulations."
But SaskPower has faced a long list of delays in moving forward on a $950 million CCS addition to units 4 and 5 at the Boundary Dam Power Station. Still in its planning phases after detailed design began in 2010, the proposed CCS would retrofit two tangential-fired boilers to capture 1 million tonnes of CO2 per year. SaskPower also is proposing an $80 million life extension plan on Unit 5 that would add 30 years to the 150-MW unit, although the Trudeau government's proposals likely would eliminate the need for it. For more information, see Industrial Info's project reports on the CCS additions to units 4 and 5 and the Unit 5 life extension.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, five offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn. For more information on our coverage, send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.com or visit us online at http://www.industrialinfo.com/.
Provinces will have the choice to phase out coal-generated power entirely, replacing it with lower-emitting sources, or employing carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology at existing plants. McKenna said coal power in Canada currently represents about 10% of greenhouse-gas emissions coming from four provinces---Alberta, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Canada is the world's 12th-largest coal producer, and roughly three-quarters of the coal it imports originates in the U.S., according to The Wall Street Journal. The ruling Liberal Party, led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, had earlier introduced a nationwide carbon levy that will begin in 2018.
Five of the six largest coal-fired power plants in Canada are found in Alberta, which gets most of its energy from the fossil fuel. But Alberta's provisional government, which is headed by the left-leaning New Democratic Party (NDP), has agreed to the 2030 goal. The NDP was swept into power last year in a surprising landslide election, after a long period in which low commodity prices pummeled the province's economy and effectively kicked out the ruling conservative party, which had been in power for more than half a century.
ATCO Power Limited (Calgary, Alberta) runs Alberta's Sheerness Generating Station, which is located in Hanna, 200 kilometers northeast of Calgary. The company recently proposed an $18 million nitrogen oxide (NOx) controls refurbishment that would retrofit two tangential-fired, dry-bottom boilers with 64 advanced, low-NOx burners. The project still is being evaluated for its economic potential; if approved, it would not kick off until first-quarter 2019 at the earliest. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
Earlier this summer, TransCanada Corporation (TSX:TRP) (Calgary, Alberta) announced that it would end power purchase agreements (PPAs) to buy electricity from the Sheerness plant and two other coal-fired facilities in Alberta, according to CBC News. TransCanada blamed the rising costs associated with carbon-dioxide emissions, which it said would only go higher, singling out the NDP's proposed carbon tax; some experts and analysts, however, cited a significant decline in electricity prices, along with the lower cost natural gas and the increasing efficiency of gas-fired power plants, as the bigger reasons, according to CBC News.
The neighboring province of Saskatchewan derives about 40% of its energy from coal-fired power plants. Premier Brad Wall, of the conservative-leaning Saskatchewan Party, criticized the federal government for failing to adequately consult with provincial leaders beforehand, according to Canada's Financial Post.
SaskPower (Regina), the province's principal electric utility, installed a $1.5 billion carbon capture and storage (CCS) system at its coal-fired Boundary Dam Power Station in Estevan in October 2014. Last month, the utility announced that it had achieved its target of capturing 800,000 tonnes of CO2 in one year, according to the Regina Leader-Post.
"We set an internal target to hit 800,000 tonnes, which is a substantial improvement over last year's capture of about 426,000 tonnes," said Howard Matthews, vice-president of power production for SaskPower, to the Regina Leader-Post. He added that that facility, which initially experienced a flurry of delays and cost overruns in setting up the CCS, is "actually capturing more CO2 than required by the regulations."
But SaskPower has faced a long list of delays in moving forward on a $950 million CCS addition to units 4 and 5 at the Boundary Dam Power Station. Still in its planning phases after detailed design began in 2010, the proposed CCS would retrofit two tangential-fired boilers to capture 1 million tonnes of CO2 per year. SaskPower also is proposing an $80 million life extension plan on Unit 5 that would add 30 years to the 150-MW unit, although the Trudeau government's proposals likely would eliminate the need for it. For more information, see Industrial Info's project reports on the CCS additions to units 4 and 5 and the Unit 5 life extension.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, five offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn. For more information on our coverage, send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.com or visit us online at http://www.industrialinfo.com/.
