Canadian liquified natural gas exports to Asia could provide the net emissions equivalent reduction of removing every single car from Canadian roads, according to a study done for the Canadian Energy Centre. .“In Canada, we have an abundance of natural gas,” said Wood Mackenzie Director—Americas Consulting Matthias Bloennigen in a Monday press release. .“Someone will produce that natural gas — if it’s not Canada, someone else will.” .The study said Canadian LNG can help Asian countries meet growing demand and lower net global emissions by eliminating coal. It said Canada has an opportunity to become a key supplier for decades to come because of the country’s vast natural gas reserves, proximity to Asian markets, and competitive prices. .Canada has no ability to export natural gas to global markets, but the study said a handful of British Columbian projects could see the country enter the global marketplace as other countries look to end their reliance on Russian energy..It said Canadian LNG would be competitive because of lower transportation costs to Asian markets, fewer facility emissions, and lower supply costs than many competitors. .“The shorter shipping distance and lower resource breakevens means Canadian LNG is more competitive,” said Wood Mackenzie Director—Americas Natural Gas, LNG and NGL Consulting Bob Kubis. .“Canadian natural gas resources are developed in a regulatory environment where they’re less emitting than certain US shale basins.” .The study examined three scenarios — a base case considering moderate growth of Canada’s LNG industry, one where capacity is accelerated, and one where it remains stagnant. .In the base case, Canada could account for 20% of the northeast Asian LNG market by 2050. The accelerated model would see Canada make up 31.7% of the LNG market, and it would be under 7% if Canada limits growth. .If Canada accelerated its LNG capacity to help Asia switch from coal to natural gas, net emissions on the continent would be reduced by an average of 188 metric tonnes per year. This is about 29% of Canada’s total greenhouse gas emissions, the equivalent of removing all of the cars from the roads. .The study said should Canada limit LNG growth, total emissions in northeast Asia would continue to rise by four metric tonnes per year. .“If we were to have more Western Canadian LNG, that would allow a lot of the other sources to go to Europe,” said Bloennigen. .Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in August Canada will not be shipping natural gas to Europe to address the continent’s energy crisis. .READ MORE: Trudeau rejects exporting Canadian natural gas to Europe.“Canada is a major oil and gas producer in the world,” said Trudeau. .“But because of our commitment to fight climate change, we are working very, very hard to decarbonize and develop other sources of energy that we can rely on and we can share with the world.”
