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A Canadian Gas Association Study Prepared By ICF 

October 2019 

Executive Summary

Moving away from an integrated multi-fuel, multi-grid energy system towards a fully electric single-grid system has been proposed in a number of jurisdictions as a pathway to significantly reduce Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions. But, the viability of a policy of widespread electrification in Canada, in terms of the required new power infrastructure, the costs to households and businesses, and the relative cost and effectiveness of the GHG mitigation potential have not been comprehensively evaluated. With a goal of informing these aspects of this important discussion the Canadian Gas Association (CGA) engaged ICF to assess and illustrate the costs and benefits of several policy-driven electrification approaches in Canada.

Key Results from this Study: 

• A transition from current energy systems to high levels of mandated electrification will require a significant and costly expansion of Canada's electrical infrastructure. 
• Incremental costs associated with electrification will be driven by the need for the electricity system to meet a significantly increased peak load. 
• Not all types of electrification are equal. 
• GHG reduction policies that solely focus of electricity over gaseous fuels are more costly ($289/tCO2) than approaches which allow for an integrated energy system to achieve GHG emission reductions ($129/tCO2). 
• Local and regional context matters. 

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