Previously, the Canadian government announced the country-wide goal that all CO₂ producers cut their emissions to 17% below 2005 levels by 2020. Last week, legislation regulating that coal plants produce essentially the same amount of Carbon Dioxide was passed, mandating research and development of technologies to meet the goal, and requiring that new facilities be equipped to minimize carbon emissions.

Though there is still some disagreement over how much effect the new law will have, it is clearly an indication that the Canadian government believes in the importance of minimizing CO₂ emissions. Since there is no existing technology that would allow capture of enough CO₂, in order to comply with the law, new facilities must invest in the development of new CCS solutions.

As with every CCS initiative, there are many political challenges, and dissenting opinions on how enforcement will work. For example, existing facilities do not need to comply with the law until after 2020, while those commissioned after 2015 are the only ones affected. This fact has upset some environmentalists, who say that companies will rush new plants into production before 2015, and do nothing to minimize emissions for existing ones.

In any case, the legislation is a positive step towards minimizing the carbon emissions in Canada, and an indication that more climate-based policy may be in the works.

For more on this story, visit this link (Power Magazine: Business and Technology for the Global Generation Industry)