The oil and gas-rich province of Alberta will never comply with a plan by the federal government of Canada to achieve net-zero emissions from the electricity grid by 2035, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has said.
Last week, Canada’s federal government proposed clean electricity regulations which were developed under three principles: maximize greenhouse gas reductions to achieve net-zero emissions from the electricity grid by 2035; maintain electricity affordability for Canadians and businesses; and maintain grid reliability to support a strong economy and meet Canada’s growing energy needs.
“What we’re talking about is not a fossil fuel-free grid by 2035. It’s a net zero grid by 2035,” Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, said, as carried by Bloomberg.
In response to the federal government’s plan, Alberta’s Premier Smith told a news conference,
“Any plan that makes electricity more expensive and less reliable is a bad plan. And the clean electricity regulations are an exceptionally bad, poorly thought out plan.”
“We will never allow these regulations to be implemented here, full stop,” Smith added.
“If it comes down to it, we are going to do our own thing. We have to.”
This doesn’t mean that Alberta is closing the door to dialogue and cooperation with the federal government, the premier said. Based on conversations with generators, net-zero emissions grid can be done by 2050, but not by 2035, she added.
When she was elected to lead UCP last autumn, Smith pledged to work for a prosperous oil-rich province without asking the federal government for permission to produce and export energy. Her campaign has focused on an Alberta First slogan and against the overreach of the federal government.
Alberta, Canada’s oil-rich province, has been looking to boost the production of oil and gas. At the same time, Canada’s federal government has adopted in recent years legislation aiming to reduce emissions and make Canada a net-zero economy by 2050.
