- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

Canada Aims to Phase Out Coal for Electricity Generation by 2030

© REUTERS / Jason LeeCoal
Coal - Sputnik International
Subscribe
Canada intends to complete a nationwide shift away from coal power for electricity by 2030 and will help four provinces that have yet to phase out the energy source invest in cleaner alternatives, Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna announced Monday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – In announcing the move, the minister said the federal government in Ottawa would use the Canada Infrastructure Bank to finance projects in clean-energy and “modern electricity” systems across the country.

"Taking traditional coal power out of our energy mix and replacing it with cleaner technologies will significantly reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, improve the health of Canadians, and benefit generations for years to come,” McKenna was quoted as saying in a press release.

A worker for an electricity company fixes a power line affected by Hurricane Matthew on the outskirts of Les Cayes, Haiti, October 6, 2016 - Sputnik International
World
Over 50,000 People in Canada Left Without Electricity Due to Hurricane
The investments envisioned would reduce the nation’s greenhouse-gas emissions by more than five megatons, within 13 years, “the equivalent of taking 1.3 million cars off the road,” the release said. In so doing, Canada would draw 90 percent of its energy from non-emitting sources, up from 80 percent now.

In October, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau proposed a tax on carbon-based pollution, to begin in 2018 at $10 per metric ton with gradual increases each year thereafter.

Alberta, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia are the only Canadian provinces that still burn coal for electricity. Under the plan McKenna announced Monday, the four will have the option of phasing out coal entirely, to be replaced by with lower-emission sources, or using technologies such as carbon capture and storage.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала