Quebec wants almost all buildings to operate without fossil fuels by 2040

Photo: Annik MH de Carufel Archives Le Devoir Quebec wants to modify a regulation to make “gas distributors [progressively] reduce the quantity of fossil natural gas delivered”, to favor renewable natural gas.

Stéphane Blais – The Canadian Press

Published at 11:22 a.m. Updated at 12:23 p.m.

• Quebec

The Quebec government plans to remove fossil fuels from all buildings, except those in the industrial sector, by 2040.

Environment Minister Benoit Charette and Energy Minister Christine Fréchette announced Monday morning “a plan to achieve 100% renewable energy by 2040.”

The goal is to plan for the withdrawal of fossil fuels for heating buildings and ensure a transition to renewable energy, “while taking into account Quebec’s energy supply capacity.”

In recent months, several municipalities have banned the installation of gas systems in new residences. Prévost, in the Laurentians, was the first to do so.

In a press release, Québec wrote that its plan “is inspired by municipal regulations in effect for new residential buildings” and “targets residential, commercial and institutional buildings, both new and existing.”

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The approach “designed in collaboration with distributors” combines “energy efficiency, electrification, dual energy and the optimal use of other renewable energy sources, such as renewable source gas (RSG) in the decarbonization of buildings,” according to the press release published Monday.

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This announcement was well welcomed by the environmentalist community.

“This is a great day for climate action in Quebec. In the midst of COP29, this announcement marks a turning point in the province’s energy transition. By setting a clear horizon for the elimination of fossil fuels in all our buildings, the government is sending a strong signal to the markets, to Quebecers and to the entire planet,” said Andréanne Brazeau, a political analyst at the David Suzuki Foundation.

However, she deplored the fact that “the industrial sector is being left out of these new measures.”

For its part, the Montreal Economic Institute (MEI), an organization partly funded by the oil industry, believes that Quebec “still needs gas heating.”

Gabriel Giguère, a policy analyst at the MEI, denounced the new measures, stating in a press release that “Quebec is still facing a shortage of electricity, with all the negative effects that this has on its development.”

Less oil heating and fossil natural gas

The decarbonization plan includes changes to two regulations. For example, the Regulation respecting oil heating appliances will be expanded and will prohibit “the installation of natural gas heating appliances in new residential buildings of less than 600 m2 and three storeys or less, in order to prioritize electrification.”

An exclusion will be granted to the Outaouais region, due to the particularities of its “energy ecosystem.” The region's natural gas distributor, Gazifère, will however have to submit a decarbonization plan in the coming months.

The Regulation respecting the quantity of gas from renewable sources to be delivered by a distributor will also be amended to improve the obligation of “gas distributors to gradually reduce the quantity of fossil natural gas delivered to residential, commercial and institutional consumers.”

Distributors, such as Énergir, will therefore have to increase the percentage of gas from renewable sources, produced from organic waste, for example.

Thus, existing buildings powered by natural gas will have to achieve a 100% renewable supply, with the exception of the residential sector for the Outaouais.

These two regulatory changes will be the subject of a consultation next year.

“After regulating fuel oil, we are now targeting natural gas, another fossil fuel. In collaboration with our partners in the energy sector and municipalities, we will put in place measures to guarantee an orderly transition to renewable energies, while ensuring a gradual adaptation for consumers,” said Minister Benoit Charette in a press release.

Energy Minister Christine Fréchette wrote that decarbonization “is a societal project that we will all succeed in together.”