Doug Ford Approves Underground CO2 Storage To Achieve Climate Goals

In an effort to address climate change by controlling and storing greenhouse gas discharges, Doug Ford’s government is making it possible for companies in Ontario to implement a process known as underground carbon capture.

Ontario government authorities have recently proposed new regulations for carbon capture pilot projects after passing a bill that revoked an earlier ban on injecting carbon dioxide into the ground.

The process involves gathering CO2 emissions from manufacturing facilities, reducing them into liquid form, and injecting them into the ground, where they are neutralized before entering the atmosphere.

Graydon Smith, Ontario’s Minister of Natural Resources, believes carbon capture is a great chance for the province to benefit.

“You look at other jurisdictions, not only in Canada but in the United States and really around the world, and carbon capture is seen as emerging effective technology that can really make a difference,” said Smith in an interview.

The oil and gas industry has been pushing forward carbon capture as a way to counteract emissions, however, the expense can be costly. Governments have provided a significant amount of the money spent on such projects in Canada.

In response to the carbon issue, Alberta and Saskatchewan have taken initiative as Canada’s frontrunners. Federal records show that Alberta was able to contain more than 3 megatonnes of carbon dioxide in 2021, (Alberta’s emissions that year amounted to 256 megatonnes.)

Steel factories, cement plants, power plants that use natural gas, and oil refineries are all good examples of Ontario industries that generate significant amounts of carbon emissions and could benefit the most from carbon capture.

Jim Redford, the vice-president of energy services for Enbridge Gas, states that their industrial clients are greatly intrigued by the chance.

“Carbon capture is a great way for those businesses to continue to use natural gas, but also to significantly reduce their emissions,” he said in an interview.

“When you look at the energy future, no one type of energy is going to power Ontario,” he said, calling carbon capture “a great way for natural gas to continue to be used, with lower [net] emissions.”