Report - Agence canadienne d'évaluation environnementale

Project energy context
and the commitment is of the order of an increase of 36 percent for Canada, the same
gap is now about 12.5 percent for Quebec.
To achieve this objective, Quebec prepared an action plan for the 2006-2012 period 1 .
According to the plan, the government undertakes to reduce Quebec’s GHG
emissions to the level of 80.2 Mt, which would be in compliance with Canada’s
commitments to reduce these emissions by 6 percent compared to the 1990 baseline.
It should be noted that without implementing the measures set forth in the 2006-2012
action plan, Quebec emissions would reach the level of 94 Mt by the year 2012
according to the data provided by the MDDEP.
Quebec’s action plan calls for the use of economic instruments in the form of emission
charges so as to modify behaviour and energy choices in the economic and industrial
sectors and to promote practices and energy forms that can reduce carbon dioxide
emissions in Quebec. The plan thus proposes that the Régie de l’énergie establish
charges to be applied to non renewable fuels (responsible for 73 percent of carbon
dioxide emissions in Quebec) which would be calculated on a pro rata basis of
emissions carbon dioxide for each energy form. The plan also calls for these emission
charges, expected to be of the order of $200 million a year, to be paid into a green
fund reserved for funding measures that would favour reduction of the carbon footprint
of Quebec, such as the promotion and development of public transit.
The project’s carbon footprint
The proponent carried out a “life cycle” analysis, estimating GHG emissions along the
entire LNG chain, compared to the Alberta natural gas supply chain (PR3.3.1,
p. 6.17). To that end, he analysis took into account the fact that the Atlantic basin
would be used to supply LNG to the project and the fact that its markets would be in
Quebec and southeast Ontario. On this basis, the analysis concludes that, for the
overall chain, LNG emissions would be about 8.5 percent higher than those from
Alberta natural gas (64.6 instead of 59.7 g eq CO2/MJ).
However, the analysis also concluded that the specific emissions from LNG remain
lower than those of fuel oil. According to the results, natural gas combustion,
whatever the source or means of delivery, generates approximately 51 g/MJ of GHG,
compared to nearly 74 g/MJ on average for No. 2 fuel oil or No. 6 fuel oil, all based on
emission factors approved by Environment Canada.
1. Québec and Climate Change, A Challenge for the Future, 2006 - 2012, June 2006 [On-line:
www.mddep.gouv.qc.ca/changements/plan_action/2006-2012_en.pdf].
Rabaska Project – Implementation of an LNG Terminal and Related Infrastructure 81