The Canadian Gas Association (CGA) has turned up the heat on using natural gas following record low temperatures in January that triggered electric usage warnings.Although the cold snap has passed, the CGA is reminding the powers that be to be mindful of “the significance of the natural gas energy option for Canadians, a need underscored by the recent severe weather conditions in Western Canada.”In a letter addressed to the prime minister on Tuesday, Timothy M. Egan, president and CEO, CGA, wrote “Canada's energy delivery companies had their work cut out for them over the last few weeks, ensuring the country could get through a period of extreme cold temperatures.""The polar vortex that locked in across the continent only underscored how important an energy system with many options is to our overall well-being. I thought I would expand on this point in my first letter to you in 2024.” “Prime Minister, when it comes to energy — in supply options, and in delivery systems — diversity truly is our strength in Canada. We must maintain natural gas as an option for reliability, for affordability, and for sustainability — all of which are essential for our country's energy security and the wellbeing of the Canadian consumer.”This value is particularly well demonstrated when severe weather — a Canadian reality — hits. The CGA argues the country as a whole has to stop talking about eliminating the choice of energy options such as natural gas and relying exclusively on one energy delivery system, such as electricity. “Each delivery system has its own advantages and natural gas is particularly well suited to meet heating needs. That should never be overlooked, as this month's weather events reminded us.”The second week of January saw wind chill temperatures in parts of the country drop to minus 40C, which in turn triggered alerts from various authorities to reduce electricity use. "Media coverage during and after the freeze referenced how the electric system is threatened by extreme weather and needs to be built out to meet demand. But to suggest that the electric system could ever meet the energy delivered by natural gas over the gas delivery system is “simply unrealistic,” wrote Egan.“Do those who advocate for the electrification of all energy, especially peak heating needs, pretend that we have either the means, the resources, or the dollars, to build out an electric system that could meet roughly nine times the load of the gas system? Do advocates of natural gas bans appreciate that banning natural gas power generation would leave us in situations of actual shortage, a terrifying spectacle in the event of minus 50 degree weather?”
