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Canada Invests $2.87 Million in Ontario Clean Fuels Projects

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Canada is investing CA$4 million ($2.87 million) in two clean fuels technology projects in Ontario as it seeks to strengthen domestic energy security, support innovation and reduce emissions, the government said on Tuesday.

The funding will support research and development projects by Next Hydrogen and CERT Systems.

Next Hydrogen will receive CA$2 million to develop new high-performance electrodes for its third-generation water electrolyzer modules.

The project aims to improve the efficiency, performance and cost of electrolyzer technology while developing a scalable fabrication process, the government said.

Electrolyzers use electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen.

The government said that when powered by low-carbon sources such as wind, solar, nuclear or hydropower, the technology can reduce emissions compared with conventional hydrogen production from unabated steam methane reforming.

CERT Systems will also receive CA$2 million for a project to convert captured carbon dioxide into ethylene, a chemical building block used to produce sustainable aviation fuel.

The process could reduce lifecycle emissions by an estimated 93.8% compared with conventional jet fuel, according to the Canadian government.

The investments are being made through Natural Resources Canada's Energy Innovation Program, which supports research, development and demonstration projects across the clean fuels value chain, including fuel production and technologies for transport and storage.

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Commodities

EPA Finalizes Repeal of 2024 Power Plant Emissions Rules, Proposes Scrapping Remaining Standards

The US Environmental Protection Agency on Monday finalized the repeal of most Biden-era greenhouse gas standards for power plants and proposed rescinding all remaining federal climate rules for the sector.Administrator Lee Zeldin unveiled the repeal at the G20 Energy Abundance Ministerial in Houston, alongside Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and National Energy Dominance Council Executive Director Jarrod Agen.EPA said the final rule would save $310 billion, and the proposed repeal would add another $370 million in compliance-cost savings if adopted.The final rule strikes down most of the 2024 Carbon Pollution Standards, which required power plants to use emissions-control technology EPA now says was not "adequately demonstrated" and exceeded the agency's authority under the Clean Air Act.EPA cited the Supreme Court's 2022 ruling in West Virginia vs EPA, which limited the agency's authority to reshape the power sector's fuel mix.The broader proposal would go further, eliminating remaining greenhouse gas rules for power plants entirely.EPA said that after the repeal of the 2009 Endangerment Finding and the Supreme Court's Loper Bright decision overturning Chevron deference, the Clean Air Act does not authorize it to regulate power-plant emissions on climate grounds.The agency also said potential public health harms from the plants' emissions are too diffuse to justify federal regulation.Zeldin said the rules would lower electricity prices and expand coal and natural gas use, calling the 2024 standards part of a "war on coal" by prior administrations."Americans will see a decrease in electricity prices, but this is just the beginning," Zeldin noted.Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the change would support baseload power generation."Today's announcement will help ensure reliable electricity generation regardless of whether the wind is blowing or the sun is shining by allowing coal and natural gas plants to keep generating power when Americans need it most," Wright said.EPA projects coal use for power generation could increase more than tenfold as a result of the rule changes, which it frames as part of a broader push for US "energy dominance."The proposed repeal will be subject to a public hearing 15 days after publication in the Federal Register, followed by a 45-day public comment period.America's Power, a trade association representing coal-fired power plants, welcomed the move. President and Chief Executive Officer Michelle Bloodworth said the repeal would help preserve the coal fleet."Overturning these examples of EPA overreach will help preserve and strengthen the US coal fleet, protect grid reliability, and shield electricity consumers from higher costs at a time of surging demand from data centers, artificial intelligence, and advanced manufacturing," Bloodworth said.She said the rules being repealed would have threatened the retirement of over 170 coal plants across 37 states, and cited EPA's estimate that utilities and ratepayers will save roughly $1.2 billion a year as a result.

Commodities

US Treasury Amends Venezuela License to Block Citgo Governance Changes

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Commodities

US Natural Gas Update: Futures Climb on Demand Outlook and Crude

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