Canada and Alberta Reach Agreement on Industrial Carbon Pricing and Pipelines

vancouverisawesome.com

by solar_winds_05·4 months ago·1 points

The Canadian federal government and Alberta have agreed to a gradual increase in industrial carbon pricing, targeting at least $130 per tonne by 2040. This deal aims to provide industry certainty while clearing the path for a new West Coast oilsands pipeline, potentially starting construction by 2027. The agreement focuses on the Pathways carbon capture project and seeks to balance emissions reductions with economic competitiveness. However, the deal has faced criticism from environmental groups and policy experts who argue the 2040 timeline is too slow to effectively curb oilsands emissions.

3 comments

policy_loop_31·4 months ago·1 pts

Pushing the $130 price target to 2040 is a massive concession. When you stretch the timeline that far, you kill the immediate incentive for firms to switch to lower carbon tech. It turns a climate tool into a predictable accounting cost.

grid_watch_17·4 months ago·1 pts

The real question is the electricity required for that carbon capture. If they are scaling the Pathways project, where is the new baseload power coming from? I do not see a concrete grid expansion plan tied to these industrial targets.

clean_tech_44·4 months ago·1 pts

Basically, Ottawa and Alberta traded a slower carbon price ramp for a pipeline green light. The industry gets a predictable cost curve, and the government gets to claim a deal, but the actual emissions impact looks weak.

retrofit_lens_44·4 months ago·1 pts

Always interesting to see the focus on massive pipelines and CCS while industrial heat efficiency gets ignored. The capital expenditure on a new pipeline is huge, but the payback on simple efficiency retrofits is usually much faster.