Canada
[Due to the increasing size of the archives, each topic page now contains only the prior 365 days of content. Access to older stories is now solely through the Monthly Archive pages or the site search function.]
Angel Restoration Orders 10 Converted Ford EVs and PHEVs from Envia
August 22, 2008
Angel Restoration Services, a disaster restoration provider servicing the lower mainland of Vancouver, Canada, has ordered 10 ten electric (EV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) from Envia, a Vancouver-based company that converts new model Ford vehicles into full lithium-ion battery-powered highway-capable EVs and PHEVs under its REV (Rapid Electric Vehicle) and REV-H brands.
Angel is starting with three REV Ford Escapes for the management team to drive and to verify that the product is sound, according to Jay Giraud, Envia’s founder and president. Subsequently, Envia will convert seven F-Series trucks to REV-H plug-in hybrids.
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Alter NRG Proposing Canada’s First Coal-to-Liquids Project
July 23, 2008
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| Cross-section of the WPC Plasma Gasification Reactor. Click to enlarge. |
Alter NRG Corp. is proposing a Coal-to-Liquids (CTL) project that will use the company’s coal reserves in the Fox Creek Area of Alberta, Canada as a feedstock to produce synthetic diesel fuel and naphtha. The project, with a targeted production capacity of 40,000 barrels per day (bbls/d), will require an investment of approximately C$4.5 billion.
Alter NRG will gasify the solid coal feedstock (Westinghouse Plasma Corporation is a subsidiary of Alter NRG) to produce a syngas that will be processed by a Fischer-Tropsch reactor into liquids with a primary emphasis on low sulfur, high-cetane diesel (33,000 bbls/d), but also naphtha (7,000 bbls/d), which is used as a bitumen diluent by the nearby oil sands industry.
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Quebec City and Partners Launch Major PHEV Study
April 23, 2008
The Université Laval, Desjardins Group, Enersys and Quebec City are launching a joint study project on plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). If the pilot study is a success, a second phase of the project could integrate up to 50 PHEVs into Quebec City streets.
Supported by Desjardins Group, Canada’s largest integrated cooperative financial group, and Enersys, the world’s largest producer of industrial batteries, a multidisciplinary team of Université Laval researchers will begin a series of studies looking at technological improvements under real-world conditions as well as the social, economic, and environmental aspects of PHEVs.
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Canada-Alberta Carbon Capture and Storage Task Force Report Says CCS Vital for Canada’s Future, Calls for Allocation of C$2B in New Public Funding Among Other Actions
February 01, 2008
The Governments of Canada and Alberta have released the final report of the Canada-Alberta ecoENERGY Carbon Capture and Storage Task Force. The report, entitled Canada’s Fossil Energy Future: The Way Forward on Carbon Capture and Storage, calls Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) “vital to Canada’s future, and...a must-have for western Canada.”
The task force identified two main barriers facing CCS today: the financial gap associated with CCS projects today and current gaps in regulatory frameworks. The report outlines a set of recommendations to support the successful widespread deployment of CCS that include: incorporating carbon capture and storage into Canada’s clean air regulations; allocating C$2 billion in new funding to projects through a competitive process; and targeting research efforts to lower the cost of this technology.
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Canada Beginning Consultations on Fuel Consumption Regulations
January 17, 2008
Canada’s Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, Lawrence Cannon, announced that the government is beginning consultations with automotive, environmental and other stakeholders as part of the government’s commitment to implement national fuel consumption regulations for motor vehicles.
The Canadian government had earlier announced that it would begin regulating the fuel consumption of new cars and light trucks beginning with the 2011 model year. (Earlier post.)
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Report Concludes that Canada Needs Economy-Wide Price Put on Carbon Emissions As Soon As Possible to Achieve 65% Reduction in GHG Emissions by 2050
January 07, 2008
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| A price on carbon should be accompanied by other policies such as transportation regulations for maximum reductions, according to the report. DCT = downstream cap-and-trade; UCT = upstream cap-and-trade; DCT with carbon tax (CTax) includes complementary carbon tax on remaining emissions. BR= building and equipment regulations. TR = transport (freight and passenger) regulations. Click to enlarge. |
Canada can achieve deep greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions by 2050, but only by putting a price on carbon emissions throughout the entire Canadian economy beginning as soon as possible, according to the findings of the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE) in its final advisory report entitled Getting to 2050: Canada’s Transition to a Low-emission Future.
At the request of the Minister of the Environment, the NRTEE explored potential scenarios for how Canada could achieve deep, long-term GHG emission reduction targets (20% by 2020 and 60% to 70% by 2050 from current levels), as well as air pollutants reduction targets (50% and 80% by 2050). The report sets out a framework for how Canada can transition to a low-emission future and achieve these long-term emission reductions.
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Québec to Adopt California Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Regulations
December 13, 2007
The government of the Canadian province of Québec will adopt California’s greenhouse gas standards for new light-duty vehicles. Provincial Environment Minister Line Beauchamp made the announcement at the UN climate change summit in Bali. Beauchamp said the new standards will come into effect between 2010 and 2016.
The standards call for an average reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in new light-duty vehicles by 30% by 2016.
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Study: Canadian Auto Feebate Program a “First Step”, But Needs Improvement
November 23, 2007
The Canadian government’s current feebate program (earlier post) is a first step in introducing market instruments to help address concerns about fuel use, but it has several defects, according to a new study by the C.D. Howe Institute.
In the study, “Deals on Wheels: An Analysis of the New Federal Auto Feebate,” policy analyst Robin Banerjee supports the use of feebates since they provide a financial incentive for consumers and manufacturers to shift towards more fuel-efficient vehicles by subsidizing fuel efficiency and taxing fuel inefficiency.
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Canadian Government Proclaims Into Law the Fuel Consumption Standards Act; Standards to Be Established and Implemented for Model Year 2011
November 07, 2007
The Canadian government has proclaimed into law the Motor Vehicle Fuel Consumption Standards Act (MVFCSA).
Under the MVFCSA, fuel consumption standards will be established for light-duty road motor vehicles. These standards will come into force following the expiration of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the auto industry and the Government of Canada in 2010 and will be implemented for model year 2011.
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Alberta Unveils New Royalty Plan for Energy Sector; 20% Increase Projected Over Current Levels
October 28, 2007
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| Alberta’s share from oil sands projects under the new royalty regime (hatched blue) compared to other countries. Click to enlarge. Source: Alberta Royalty Review Panel |
Saying that “Future generations of Albertans will receive a fair share from the development of their resources,” Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach last week unveiled the Canadian province’s new royalty regime for the energy sector. Under the New Royalty Framework, oil and gas royalties are expected to increase by C$1.4 billion in 2010, a 20% increase over currently projected revenues for that year.
Actual revenues will depend on future prices and production levels in the province. Therefore, the Alberta government’s annual budget development process will not change. The new royalty regime includes the following components:
