Électrifier les industries

The report identifies the manufacturing, construction, and mining sectors as having high potential for electrification to reduce Canada's industrial greenhouse gas emissions. It highlights three primary barriers: technical readiness for hard-to-abate sectors, concerns over electricity reliability and availability, and the low cost of natural gas. To overcome these, the report proposes three catalysts: the development of short-term electrification plans by companies, the alignment of utility planning with net-zero trajectories, and the implementation of guaranteed carbon pricing mechanisms, such as carbon contracts for difference.

• Industrial activities, excluding oil, gas, and refining, account for approximately 15% of Canada's greenhouse gas emissions.
• The Canadian industrial sector currently uses electricity for over 25% of its energy needs, but this must increase to 41% by 2050 to meet net-zero goals, while simultaneously reducing overall energy consumption.
• Electrification potential varies significantly by industry; for example, aluminum production uses electricity for over 80% of its energy, whereas mining uses less than 10% and construction uses almost none.
• Three main obstacles hinder industrial electrification: the lack of technical readiness for sectors like cement, steel, and chemicals; a lack of confidence in the reliability and availability of the electricity grid; and the low cost of natural gas, which makes the business case for electrification less attractive.
• To accelerate the transition, the report recommends that companies translate long-term climate targets into short-term electrification plans and pilot projects to prove technology and scale investment.
• Electricity distributors and planners must proactively align their investments and resource planning with net-zero trajectories to ensure sufficient clean energy is available for industrial processes.
• The federal government should increase investment certainty by guaranteeing future carbon price increases, potentially through mechanisms like carbon contracts for difference, similar to a pilot project implemented in Germany.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (2022). Électrifier les industries. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-06/industrial-electrification-fr.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. Électrifier les industries. 2022. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-06/industrial-electrification-fr.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=Électrifier les industries |date=May 2022 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-06/industrial-electrification-fr.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopment2022lectrifier, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{Électrifier les industries}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2022}, month = may, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-06/industrial-electrification-fr.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }