July 21, 2026

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By Lucas Bettle

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The Government of Canada has committed to phasing out unabated coal-fired electricity generation by 2030. While the share of national electricity generation from coal fell from 17% in 2005 to 4% in 2024, challenges remain: 8 plants are still in operation as of 2026 (Government of Canada, 2025) Progress continues, but provincial decarbonization and implementation of sustainable replacements for coal-fired capacity have yet to be fully resolved.

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Canada’s Commitment to Phasing Out Coal-Fired Electricity

 

The federal framework for Canada’s coal phaseout commitment began in 2012 with the Reduction of Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Coal-fired Generation of Electricity Regulations. These rules imposed a performance standard of 420 tonnes of CO2 per gigawatt-hour for all new units. Existing units would have to meet the standard as well to operate beyond their useful life through any refurbishment, defined as 50 years. (Government of Canada, 2012) Amendments in 2018 tightened rules, requiring conventional coal units to comply by 2030, setting a firm deadline for the end of unabated coal-fired electricity in Canada. (Government of Canada, 2018)

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Analysts project the coal phaseout will avoid 94 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions from 2019 to 2055, along with substantial SOx and NOx reductions. (ECCC, 2018) The policy limits its scope to thermal coal used for electricity, not affecting metallurgical coal used in steelmaking. (Government of Canada, 2018) Some provinces have implemented provincial equivalency agreements instead of directly integrating the federal regulation, including renewed agreements for Nova Scotia (ECCC, 2025a) and Saskatchewan in 2025 (ECCC, 2025b).

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Ontario began its coal phaseout before federal regulation was put in place and became the first North American jurisdiction to eliminate coal from its grid, with its last coal-fired electricity generation plant closing in 2014. Removing coal entirely has allowed the province to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 17%. (Ontario Power Generation, 2024)

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Progress Toward Phasing Out Coal So Far

Over the past 20 years, Canada has made major strides in reducing coal-fired electricity generation, falling from 102 TWh in 2005 to 25 TWh in 2024, dropping from 17% of national generation to 4%. (Canada Energy Regulator, 2026) Natural gas has replaced many of these sources, with its share of generation rising from 5% to 15% over the same period. However, wind and solar have also played a role, rising from less than 1% to 8.4%. (Government of Canada, 2025)​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This has helped drive emissions reduction in Canada’s electricity sector, with emissions falling from 116 million tonnes of CO2e in 2005 to 49 million tonnes of CO2e in 2023, a 58% decline. (ECCC, 2025) This is also reflected at the provincial level. Alberta’s electricity-related emissions have been reduced by 53% since 2005, having phased out coal completely as of early 2024, largely converting to natural gas. (Government of Alberta, 2025) Benefits extend beyond greenhouse gas emissions reduction, with reduced particulate matter in Ontario and Alberta reducing associated health risks. (Öztaner, 2024)

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Remaining Coal-Fired Plants in Canada and Future Plans

 

SaskPower has stated that it plans to continue operating its 3 coal-fired plants despite federal clean electricity regulations. (Quon, 2025) The second-largest remaining coal-fired plant in Canada is the 582 MW Poplar River Power Station in Saskatchewan. As of 2026, SaskPower still has no firm plan in place to decommission, convert, or mitigate emissions for the station, making it one of the most pressing concerns in the future of the coal phaseout. (SaskPower, 2026) The same is true for the 276 MW Shand Power Station. (SaskPower, 2026)

 

The 531 MW Boundary Dam Power Station, also in Saskatchewan, has implemented carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology to bring operations below the 420 tonnes of CO2 per gigawatt-hour limit set by the regulation. The CCS-equipped coal-fired generation station has an average emissions intensity of 377 tonnes of CO2 per gigawatt-hour, comparable to natural-gas-fired plants depending on efficiency and other factors. (SaskPower, 2025)

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Nova Scotia has established its own provincial plan to exit coal-fired generation and achieve 80% renewable electricity by 2030. (Government of Nova Scotia, 2024) The province’s 2025 10-year outlook includes converting the 150 MW Point Tupper plant to natural gas and the 459 MW Lingan Generating Station to heavy fuel oil. Nova Scotia Power plans to retire the 171 MW Point Aconi station and the 304 MW Trenton station. (Nova Scotia Power, 2025)

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Alberta is a prime example of how conversion can succeed. Capital Power converted the Genesee station near Edmonton from coal to natural gas-fired generation in 2024, providing 1,850 MW of capacity. (Capital Power, 2025) The operator claims that this transition reduces emissions by 40%, amounting to 3.4 million tonnes of CO2 annually. (Capital Power, 2024)

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New Brunswick’s 467 MW Belledune Generating Station is taking a different approach. Biomass conversion will see the station burn advanced pellets, which are wood pellets upgraded via thermal or chemical treatment to increase energy density. (NB Power, 2023) NB Power evaluated a wide range of options, including natural gas, and has successfully tested operations using the pellets in 2024. (NB Power, 2025)

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Will Canada’s Coal Phaseout Succeed?

 

Ontario, Manitoba, and Alberta have already successfully phased out coal-fired generation. Out of the remaining provinces, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick have firm plans in place to reach the 2030 goal. Saskatchewan remains a significant outlier, with one CCS-abated plant that meets federal regulations and two plants that have no definite plans in place. While the phaseout has been largely successful, this federal-provincial divide remains unresolved.

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While many provinces with established hydro and nuclear generation have been able to reduce emissions significantly by phasing out coal, others have transitioned to natural gas and other sources that still produce greenhouse gas emissions. While an improvement, these changes may not align with Canada’s further goals to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.

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New and retrofitted generating stations relying on other fossil fuels will still have to contend with the Clean Electricity Regulations that will limit emissions intensity to 65 tonnes of CO2 per GWh starting in 2035, although the scheme includes a variety of credits that can offset emissions. (Government of Canada, 2024) While challenges remain, the coal phaseout represents a major milestone toward grid decarbonization.

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Canada After Coal: What Comes Next

 

Canada’s coal phaseout has made significant strides toward emissions reduction, cutting coal-fired generation dramatically and lowering electricity-sector emissions. Provinces have been largely cooperative in shifting their grid planning to adapt to a coal-free landscape, with the notable exception of Saskatchewan. However, reaching the 2030 phaseout goal by switching to other fossil fuels isn’t a long-term solution, and Canada will need energy sources that better align with its 2050 net-zero goal in the long run.
 

References

Canada Energy Regulator. (2026). Market Snapshot: Canadian coal-fired electricity generation is rapidly being replaced by low and non-emitting energy sources. Retrieved from https://www.cer-rec.gc.ca/en/data-analysis/energy-markets/market-snapshots/2024/market-snapshot-canadian-coal-fired-electricity-generation-rapidly-being-replaced-low-non-emitting-energy-sources.html

Capital Power. (2024). Genesee Repowering Achieves Commercial Operations. Retrieved from https://www.capitalpower.com/media/media_releases/genesee-repowering-achieves-commercial-operations/

Capital Power. (2025, May). Genesee Connection. Retrieved from https://www.capitalpower.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Capital-Power-Genesee-Newsletter-May-2025.pdf

ECCC. (2018). Technical backgrounder: Federal regulations for electricity sector. Retrieved from https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/managing-pollution/energy-production/technical-backgrounder-regulations-2018.html

ECCC. (2025). Greenhouse gas emissions. Retrieved from https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/environmental-indicators/greenhouse-gas-emissions.html

ECCC. (2025a). Canada-Nova Scotia equivalency agreement regarding greenhouse gas emissions from electricity producers, 2025. Retrieved from https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/canadian-environmental-protection-act-registry/agreements/equivalency/canada-nova-scotia-greenhouse-gas-electricity-producers-2025.html

ECCC. (2025b). Canada-Saskatchewan equivalency agreement regarding greenhouse gas emissions from electricity producers, 2025. Retrieved from https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/canadian-environmental-protection-act-registry/agreements/equivalency/canada-saskatchewan-greenhouse-gas-electricity-producers-2025.html

Government of Alberta. (2025). Phasing out emissions from coal. Retrieved from https://www.alberta.ca/climate-coal-electricity

Government of Canada. (2012). Reduction of Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Coal-fired Generation of Electricity Regulations (SOR/2012-167). Retrieved from https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/SOR-2012-167/index.html

Government of Canada. (2018). Regulations Amending the Reduction of Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Coal-fired Generation of Electricity Regulations: SOR/2018-263. Retrieved from https://gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p2/2018/2018-12-12/html/sor-dors263-eng.html

Government of Canada. (2024). Clean Electricity Regulations (SOR/2024-263). Retrieved from https://pollution-waste.canada.ca/environmental-protection-registry/regulations/view?Id=2181

Government of Canada. (2025). Canada’s clean electricity future. Retrieved from https://www.canada.ca/en/services/environment/weather/climatechange/climate-plan/clean-electricity.html

Government of Nova Scotia. (2024). Clean Electricity Solutions Task Force Report. 

NB Power. (2023). 2023 Integrated Resource Plan. 

NB Power. (2025). Belledune Clean Fuel Project. Retrieved from https://www.nbpower.com/en/about-us/projects/belledune-clean-fuel-project/

Nova Scotia Power. (2025). 2025 10-Year System Outlook. 

Ontario Power Generation. (2024). OPG marks 10 years since the closure of its last coal-fired station. Retrieved from https://www.opg.com/news-resources/newsroom/our-stories/story/opg-marks-10-years-since-the-closure-of-its-last-coal-fired-station

Öztaner, Y. B. (2024). Health benefits of phasing out coal-fired power plants in Ontario, Alberta, and Canada. Atmospheric Environment.

Quon, A. (2025). Sask. to extend life of all coal-fired power plants despite federal clean electricity regulations. CBC.

SaskPower. (2025). BD3 Status Update: Q3 2025. Retrieved from https://www.saskpower.com/about-us/our-company/blog/2025/bd3-status-update-q3-2025

SaskPower. (2026). Poplar River Power Station. Retrieved from https://www.saskpower.com/our-power-future/our-electricity/electrical-system/system-map/poplar-river-power-station

SaskPower. (2026). System Map. Retrieved from https://www.saskpower.com/our-power-future/our-electricity/electrical-system/system-map