Burning fossil fuels to generate power, such as coal and natural gas, results in the emission of greenhouse gases; the most prevalent being carbon dioxide. We are committed to reducing all greenhouse gas emissions but have placed special focus on carbon dioxide due to our reliance on coal as a fossil fuel. Our strategy to reduce carbon dioxide emissions includes:
- Using carbon capture and storage technology to capture, liquefy and store carbon dioxide emissions in underground caverns
- Replacing coal with natural gas – natural gas burns cleaner than coal, is more efficient and generates less carbon dioxide emissions
- Adding renewable wind and hydro generation to the power supply
- Investigating environmentally preferred power-generation technologies
Benefits of reducing carbon dioxide emissions
- Better positioned to meet federal reduction targets expected in 2011
- Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions reduces impact to climate change
Carbon capture and storage
Carbon capture and storage involves the capture of carbon dioxide emissions from large industrial facilities, such as coal-fired power stations. The carbon dioxide is liquefied, transported and stored in underground caverns. The liquid carbon dioxide can be subsequently used for increasing the output of low-producing oil wells in a process called enhanced oil recovery. Carbon capture and storage will reduce CO2 emissions while allowing coal (an inexpensive, abundant and reliable fuel source) to remain in the power supply.
The federal ecoENERGY Carbon Capture and Storage Task Force reports that carbon capture and storage has the potential to eliminate up to 600 megatonnes (Mt) per year, or approximately 40 per cent of Canada's estimated greenhouse gas emissions in 2050. The installation of carbon capture and storage technology represents the largest environmental upgrade ever contemplated for coal-fired power stations in Canada.
