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Canada oil and gas emissions cap most likely to curtail production, report states

Canada's proposed oil and gas emissions cap will trigger business to cut production rather than purchase expensive carbon capture and storage (CCS). innovation, according to a report by consultancy Deloitte and. launched by the Alberta federal government on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal government is. establishing regulations to force Canada's highest-polluting. sector to cut emissions to 137 million metric lots, 37% below. 2022 levels, by 2030. Alberta, Canada's primary oil-producing. province, and the industry oppose the strategy, arguing it is a. production cap.

Canada's biggest oil producers are counting on CCS for many. of their emissions cuts over the next years. But Pathways. Alliance, a group of six major oil sands companies, has actually not made a. final investment choice on its C$ 16.5 billion ($ 12.03 billion). job and states it requires more government financial support.

In a report commissioned by Alberta, Deloitte modelling. revealed that implementing CCS would render high-cost oil sands. mines economically unviable. For lower-cost thermal oil sands. properties, curtailing production would still be more cost-efficient. than purchasing CCS.

We do not see any oil sands CCS financial investments being. executed, Deloitte said.

Laura Cameron, an expert at the International Institute for. Sustainable Development environment think-tank, said the report. raised concerns about the expense of carbon-capture technology.

Canada is the world's fourth-largest oil manufacturer, turning. out around 5 million barrels per day (bpd).

Despite the industry's fears, production is really setting. record highs due to a new export pipeline and resilient oil. costs. Trudeau proposed the cap in 2021 and his government is. aiming to settle it ahead of a most likely election next year.

The emissions cap would likely result in 2030 oil production. of 5.6 million bpd, around 10% lower than it would be without a. cap, Deloitte predicted. Gas production at the end of the decade. would be roughly 2.2 billion cubic feet a day with an emissions. cap, 12% lower than without one.

That would lead to Canada losing 90,000 jobs and C$ 282. billion in GDP between 2030 and 2040, the report stated.

It's time to give up on this stopped working concept, Alberta financing. minister Nate Horner said in a statement.

Deloitte approximates oil and gas emissions would still go beyond. the proposed cap by 20 million lots by the end of the years,. even with increasing production performance and actions to curb. methane emissions.

Asked about the emissions cap on Tuesday, Federal. Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault informed reporters the. federal government did not have jurisdiction to restrict production.

(source: Reuters)