Saint-Laurent Ottawa Nord entreprise gazière décarbonisation

The Ontario Energy Board (OEB) took the unusual step of rejecting Enbridge Gas's $123.7 million Saint-Laurent Ottawa Nord pipeline project, citing the City of Ottawa's electrification plans and a projected decline in natural gas demand. The document explores how this decision challenges traditional utility business models—where returns are often based on pipeline mileage rather than gas volume—and highlights the risk of 'stranded assets' if new infrastructure is built despite decarbonization goals. It further discusses Enbridge's five-year plan, which advocates for a 'diversified' scenario including low-carbon gas and hydrogen, contrasting this with the City of Ottawa's preference for integrated energy planning to meet climate targets.

• The Ontario Energy Board (OEB) rejected Enbridge Gas's $123.7 million Saint-Laurent Ottawa Nord pipeline project, a move described as "tout à fait inhabituel en 62 ans d’histoire".
• The OEB's decision was influenced by the City of Ottawa's "Évolution énergétique" community electrification plan and federal efforts to transition the Cliff Street heating and cooling plant to low-carbon technologies, factors that Enbridge ignored in its demand forecasts.
• The current operational model for gas companies may incentivize network expansion regardless of consumer demand because shareholder returns are primarily determined by the "nombre de kilomètres de pipelines possédés et exploités plutôt que par le volume de gaz fourni".
• There is a significant financial risk that users, shareholders, or taxpayers will bear the cost of "actifs délaissés" (stranded assets) if new or expanded infrastructure is decommissioned prematurely due to emission reduction efforts.
• Enbridge's ten-year capital plan of $15.3 billion still includes the Saint-Laurent Ottawa Nord project for 2024-2025, despite the OEB's rejection.
• A Guidehouse study commissioned by Enbridge proposes a "diversified" scenario where gas heating, supplemented by heat pumps, remains essential and is fueled by "gaz à faible teneur en carbone ou carboneutre", potentially saving users $181 billion by 2050 by reducing electrical infrastructure needs.
• The City of Ottawa advocates for an integrated energy planning approach involving coordination between gas, electricity, and district energy providers to meet climate goals while ensuring "l’abordabilité et la sécurité énergétique".

APA

Canadian Climate Institute (2023). Saint-Laurent Ottawa Nord entreprise gazière décarbonisation. https://institutclimatique.ca/publications/saint-laurent-ottawa-nord-entreprise-gaziere-decarbonisation/

Chicago

Canadian Climate Institute. Saint-Laurent Ottawa Nord entreprise gazière décarbonisation. 2023. https://institutclimatique.ca/publications/saint-laurent-ottawa-nord-entreprise-gaziere-decarbonisation/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Canadian Climate Institute |title=Saint-Laurent Ottawa Nord entreprise gazière décarbonisation |date=14 April 2023 |url=https://institutclimatique.ca/publications/saint-laurent-ottawa-nord-entreprise-gaziere-decarbonisation/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{canadianclimateinstitute2023saintlaurent, author = {{Canadian Climate Institute}}, title = {{Saint-Laurent Ottawa Nord entreprise gazière décarbonisation}}, institution = {Canadian Climate Institute}, year = {2023}, month = apr, url = {https://institutclimatique.ca/publications/saint-laurent-ottawa-nord-entreprise-gaziere-decarbonisation/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }