What are the opportunities related to the trading of emission reductions in the electricity market?

Gaz Metropolitain distributes approximately 97 per cent of the natural gas used in Quebec. It operates an 8300 kilometre (km) pipeline network and has 150,000 customers. Revenues in 2002 were 1.6 billion. Since 1990, Gaz Metropolitain has reduced its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 30 per cent. After a brief look at the sources of energy in Quebec and their associated GHG emissions, the author discussed the viability of a closed emission trading system with only a limited number of permits. The system could be opened up through the creation of credits in excluded sectors. Under the Kyoto Protocol, countries are allocated emitting permits in an open system since the credits are included in the Protocol. In Canada, the federal government has announced that a domestic emission trading system will be implemented for large emitters. The thermal production sector will be covered by a system consisting of an exchange of rights. Electricity produced from renewable energy sources would be excluded from the system, and it is yet to be decided whether credits could be generated. The creation of credits under the Canadian plan was reviewed. The projects accepted under the Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Trading Pilot (GERT) were examined and the development of the project was described. Some of the projects under GERT include a new dam in Newfoundland, a wind power project in Alberta, and a biomass cogeneration project in British Columbia to name but a few. It was noted that quantifying emissions in the case of indirect reductions is complex but feasible. 3 refs., tabs., figs