Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
of support for CCS research, particularly in Alberta, which alone produced
46% of all coal mined in Canada in 2011. Alberta has recently announced an
initiative to provide public support for three to ive CCS projects, aiming to
store approximately ive million tonnes of CO
2
by 2015. Although this tech-
nology is intended primarily to help enhance oil recovery in the province,
successful commercialization will also perpetuate coal-ired power produc-
tion in the province.
With energy accounting for approximately 20% of Canada's exports, and
further development of the Albertan oil sands expected to extend the com-
mercial importance of fossil fuel production, there is a considerable amount
of vested inancial interest which is intent on preserving status quo. As
noted earlier, given the fungible nature of oil and coal, it is not essential
for these products to be consumed domestically for the industry to thrive;
however, domestic reliance on fossil fuels tends to enhance industry proit-
ability. Economic interests tend to exert a tremendous inluence in the prov-
inces where fossil fuels are extensively used in the electricity system—where
change is most needed, industrial and political opposition are greatest.
Political support for fossil fuel resource development tends to be bol-
stered by recent trends in provincial development strategy, which are begin-
ning to recognize the opportunities lost by the historical extract-and-sell
approach to resource governance. Leaders in fossil fuel rich provinces such
as British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick,
and Prince Edward Island are beginning to actively seek strategies to add
value to the fossil fuel resource chain. his economic upside garners politi-
cal support and engenders political stakeholders who are favorably biased
toward fossil fuel special interest appeals.
8.5.3 Technological
→
Political
Canada is unique in that technology-enabling environmental endow-
ments support virtually any electricity generation technology. As pointed
out earlier, Canada's oil reserves rank second in the world. Canada's coal
reserves rank eleventh, and its natural gas reserves rank twenty-irst in
the world. Canada ranks third in the world in hydropower generation and
seventh in the world in nuclear power generation, with proven uranium
reserves that rank third in the world. Despite having no installed geo-
thermal capacity, the Canadian Geothermal Energy Association estimates
geothermal potential at 5,000 MW—half the current amount of installed
geothermal capacity. In tidal power, the Pembina Institute in Canada esti-
mates that the Bay of Fundy alone could produce 30,000 MW of power.
