Motion seeks to plot city move away from natural gas

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This article was published 04/03/2021 (1821 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

THE head of council’s environment committee wants to determine how and when the City of Winnipeg could halt natural gas expansion and rely more on renewable heating sources.

Coun. Brian Mayes (St. Vital) is calling for a civic report to offer timelines on reasonably achieving the following: halting the further expansion of natural gas infrastructure within Winnipeg; stopping the use of natural gas in newly constructed areas; and excluding the use of natural gas in all tenders for new municipal buildings.

Mayes said Winnipeg’s climate action plan calls to ensure eight per cent of all residential and 12 per cent of commercial buildings make efficiency and/or renewable energy upgrades by 2030 to help reduce emissions.

In 2011 alone, Winnipeg buildings emitted 1.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent from the burning of natural gas.

“We have this grand aspiration in the climate change plan, and we really haven’t been doing anything toward that. So let’s try and do something, let’s see what the cost would be, see what the implications are,” said Mayes, chairman of the water and waste, riverbank management and environment committee.

The councillor said the motion is inspired by Coun. Jason Schreyer (Elmwood-East Kildonan), who has repeatedly noted Manitoba’s abundant hydro-electric power could potentially provide a green heating source.

Mayes said he’s not yet sure if there is a cost-effective way to switch to more environmentally friendly heat sources or if the city would require senior government approvals to make the changes.

“At least let’s figure out what powers the City of Winnipeg might have on this,” said Mayes. “I grew up hearing (about) clean-burning natural gas… and it is cleaner than coal or oil. But decades later, we realize there’s an environmental cost.”

The motion, which the environment committee is set to vote on March 9, also calls to identify city buildings best suited to switch energy sources.

In an email, Manitoba Hydro indicated a mass switch to replace natural gas with hydro-electric energy for heating would come at a steep cost.

Spokesman Bruce Owen said natural gas serves 289,000 customers in the province, primarily for heating, and is expected to remain an affordable part of Manitoba’s energy mix “for the foreseeable future.”

“Based on current electricity rates and natural gas market prices, heating with natural gas is expected to continue to be cheaper in Manitoba even if federal carbon charges increase to as high as $170 per tonne. The importance of this energy source cannot be overstated. Manitoba Hydro does not currently have the generating capacity to support a mass switch from natural gas to electricity for home heating,” said Owen.

Enhancing the grid to serve peak energy demand without any natural gas would cost “tens of billions of dollars,” he said.

A Hydro analysis found electrifying the transportation system would reduce more greenhouse gas emissions than eliminating natural gas as an energy source for heating, he added.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

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