Column: Replacing coal with gas will open new ‘window of opportunity’ for Canada’s LNG sector

“If you really want to phase out all of the coal that’s still in the world in power production, well that’s a huge window of opportunity where gas can play an increasing role, next to renewables.”

– Maria van der Hoeven, former Executive Director, International Energy Agency

The former executive director of the International Energy Agency believes Canada has an opportunity to get more projects launched, providing LNG to the world and helping displace coal and other higher-emitting sources of greenhouse gases.

According to the IEA’s new World Energy Outlook report, coal-to-gas switching can offer “quick wins” for reducing global emissions. Natural gas generates half of the carbon dioxide emissions, on average, than burning coal for electricity, the study said.