Renewable Energy Standard
In early 2007 and
updated in 2010, provincial regulations known as Nova Scotia’s
Renewable Energy Standard were put in place that have helped guide the
transformation in how we generate electricity today, and mandate targets
for the future. Working together with governments, independent power
producers, and others, we are meeting these requirements and putting in
place new sources of electricity that reduce our reliance on coal and
provide stable prices for years to come.
The regulations will lead
us to have 40% of our electricity coming from renewable energy in
2020.
Greenhouse Gases and Air Emissions
Most
of Nova Scotia’s electricity is still generated by coal, considered
among the dirtiest of fossil fuels. Around the world, heightened
environmental concerns are driving change in how electricity is often
generated and governments are enacting legislation on electricity
industries to reduce their impact on climate change and human health.
Here
in Nova Scotia, provincial regulations limit the amounts of greenhouse
gases (CO2e) and air pollutants of mercury (Hg), sulphur dioxide (SO2),
and Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) that can be emitted from the stacks of our
power plants. Over time, the limits tighten so that fewer and fewer
emissions will be released. In the case of greenhouse gases, regulations
require a 25% reduction over the 2010 to 2020 period, meaning the
maximum GHG emissions that we can emit from the stacks of our plants in
2020 is 7.5 megatonnes (Mt). The regulations deal with all greenhouse
gasses whether from oil, natural gas or coal and allow us to find the
lowest cost approach to meet the 7.5 Mt cap. Reducing our use of coal
and using new equipment to help make coal and gas generation as clean as
it can be have helped reduce emissions from our coal plants in Lingan,
Point Tupper, Point Aconi and Trenton, and our natural gas plant at
Tufts Cove, Dartmouth, to 7.6 Mt of greenhouse gases in 2012. This is
our lowest total in many years and positions us well on our way to the 2020 limit
of 7.5 Mt.
We post our yearly greenhouse gas and air emissions levels online, which you can view in detail.