Stricter federal government rules governing the emissions of electricity plants powered by coal will be implemented next year. The rules, which will be applied to newly-built coal-fired plants that will produce power after July 1, 2015, will require the new units to equal the reduced greenhouse gas emissions from plants powered by natural gas. An estimated 11 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions in Canada come from coal.
Estimates show that in the first 21 years of the implementation of new rules, the green house gases emissions in coal fired electricity production will be reduced by 214 mega tonnes . This will greatly help government achieve its aim of lowering emissions by 2020 to 17 per cent below the levels experienced in 2005. Even though, it is a substantial decrease, it still does not meet the agreement set forth at the Kyoto Protocol which sought for 6 per cent below the levels in 1990.
In an August 19, 2011 report that appeared on the Leader Post, former Environment Minister Peter Kent was quoted as saying that the new policies will not translate to substantial increases in the power bills of Canadian consumers. He said that by 2020, the average electricity bill of Canadian residents will go up by about $5 every year.
That report also said that decisions about existing coal-powered plants that will not be covered by the new rules will still need to be taken as soon as they come to the end of their 45-year lifespan. If their operations are to continue, they would need to meet a fresh set of performance criteria which will control and reduce their carbon emissions.
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