Shell, Petronas back Ottawa’s push for Paris climate accord credits through LNG exports to Asia

Two of Canada’s top energy executives are backing the federal government’s plan to use a section in the Paris climate accord that would allow Canada to gain emission credits for exporting liquefied natural gas to Asia.

Shell Canada President Michael Crothers and Petronas Energy Canada President & CEO Mark Fitzgerald say LNG is a cleaner energy source for power plants than coal, which is widely used in Asia to generate electricity. They say that once LNG Canada starts to export natural gas in liquid form by early 2025, it would help decrease air pollution from coal-fired power plants in countries such as China.

“Emissions reduction has to be considered in the global context. I wish methane emissions and carbon dioxide stopped at the borders, but they don’t. Energy demand is not going to go away. Article 6 is one mechanism that allows us to treat this truly as a global opportunity.”

– Mark Fitzgerald, President & CEO, Petronas Energy Canada