CALGARY — Chris Severson-Baker, Alberta regional director at the Pembina Institute, made the following statement in response to the Government of Alberta’s release of its Natural Gas Vision and Strategy on Tuesday:
"As the source of a third of Canada’s emissions, Alberta must acknowledge the need to decarbonize in alignment with the country’s net-zero emissions commitment by 2050. Ignoring the climate imperative works against Alberta’s ambition to be an energy supplier of choice in a world committed to a safe climate.
"Low- and zero-carbon hydrogen can play an important role in decarbonizing Canada’s energy systems and Alberta has many of the necessary building blocks for a robust hydrogen market. We fully support the plan to develop a hydrogen roadmap for Alberta. Missing from the announced strategy is recognition for the need to increase the proportion of zero-carbon hydrogen over time.
"To achieve its vision of becoming the ‘preferred source of clean, secure and responsibly sourced natural gas,’ Alberta needs a plan to decarbonize the production of natural gas in line with Canada’s commitment to be carbon neutral by 2050, starting with deeper methane emissions reductions in the natural gas sector.
"Many signposts indicate demand for natural gas might not increase in the power and oilsands sectors as much as this strategy suggests. Renewables are already a cost-effective source of electricity in Alberta, and most projections indicate that global demand for oil — touted as the largest client for natural gas — will likely start declining in the coming decade.
"Without confirming that it wants to be part of the net-zero emissions solution, Alberta risks undermining its own competitiveness."
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Contact
Michelle Bartleman (English / français)
Communications Lead, Alberta
Pembina Institute
587-588-5744
Background
Report: Hydrogen on the path to net-zero emissions
Report: Reliable, affordable: The economic case for scaling up clean energy portfolios
Webinar series: The Future of Hydrogen & RNG in Canada
About the Pembina Institute
The Pembina Institute is a non-profit think-tank that advocates for strong, effective policies to support Canada’s clean energy transition. We have offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa and Toronto. Learn more: www.pembina.org
