Enbridge CEO wants to see greater global role for Canadian LNG

Canada needs to show greater leadership to the world in lowering emissions, reducing energy poverty and supporting the participation of indigenous communities in energy developments, Enbridge CEO Greg Ebel said October 6.

And in a speech to the Toronto Region Board of Trade, Ebel said Canada has an opportunity to show that leadership by supporting natural gas and LNG developments.

“The world recognises the value of Canada’s vast natural resources and the impact those resources can have for energy security, reliability – and importantly – reducing global emissions,” Ebel said. “Our goal as individuals, as a nation, and as a global community must be to reduce emissions across our planet as a whole – and LNG helps get us there.”

Ebel called on government to champion the sustainable production of natural gas and to reduce barriers to the responsible development of LNG. He urged governments to create the conditions for investment in LNG exports to help global nations switch from coal power generation to lower-carbon natural gas.

Ebel pointed out that Canada accounts for just 1.4% of global CO2 emissions. But it also has vast reserves of natural gas – enough to meet national demand for 200 years – that if used to displace coal in Asia and Eastern Europe can have a far greater impact on the global climate than Canada itself achieving net zero by 2050.

“Spurring Canadian LNG exports to nations and peoples who want to displace coal power generation for lower carbon energy would deliver a greater reduction in greenhouse gas emissions for the planet than the act of Canada meeting its own net-zero commitment,” he said. “We have before us an opportunity that is good for global emissions reductions, our economy and Canada’s historic global brand - that is the very definition of a modern win-win-win.”

Ebel also emphasised the need for a national indigenous loan-guarantee program to ensure that First Nations have a seat at the table and a chance to benefit from Canada’s natural resources.

“Many indigenous groups have natural resources that they want to develop – they want to build a better future for themselves and for the generations to come,” he said. “The energy industry has an opportunity – in fact, I would argue it has an obligation – to help them become full economic partners.”