FortisBC's Proposal to Truck Liquefied Methane Gas to Kelowna Is A Call To Action To Go Electric

Nov. 28, 2024

Kelowna residents should be concerned with FortisBC’s plan to truck liquified methane gas from Metro Vancouver to Kelowna and storing it in tanks next to residences.

This is a failure by both the City and FortisBC to take credible steps to provide affordable energy solutions that meet the needs of our growing city, protect our health and phase out fossil fuels to stop climate breakdown.

Kelowna’s reliance on “natural gas” — actually fracked methane gas — contributes significantly to our greenhouse gas emissions, second only to transportation. Despite its misleading name, methane is far from a "natural" or clean energy source. Over a 20-year period, methane has a warming impact 83 times greater than carbon dioxide, making it one of the most dangerous greenhouse gases. Moreover, methane leaks occur at every stage of the gas supply chain, from extraction to transportation to your home appliances.

The additional handling required to liquify, transport, and regasify LNG results in even more methane leaks and higher energy consumption. In many cases, the carbon footprint of LNG is so high that using methane gas is actually worse for the environment than using coal.

This project is a response to the BC Utility Commission’s rejection of a $320 million gas pipeline expansion project because the utility assumed gas demand will grow, despite government policy supporting electrification and more efficient building standards. In fact, heat pump sales in North America are now outpacing sales of gas furnaces.

The Ontario Energy Board rejected gas line projects on a similar basis. The regulator wrote it, “is not satisfied that Enbridge Gas’s proposal will not lead to an overbuilt, underutilized gas system in the face of the energy transition.”

Across North America, 140 jurisdictions in Canada and the US (including places much colder than Kelowna like Quebec, Massachusetts, Washington State, and New York) have implemented gas restrictions. These jurisdictions recognize that we need to start a managed transition away from the gas system now.

Despite government policy supporting electrification and more efficient building standards, Fortis rejects these conclusions and this flawed project is their response.

In fact, heat pump sales in North America are now outpacing sales of gas furnaces since 2022 with the lead continuing to widen.

For every gas use in a home, there is an electric option that is more effective, efficient and healthier. Keep in mind you need electricity to even run your gas furnace, but you don’t need gas to run your heat pump!

Cold climate heat pumps work extremely efficiently in Kelowna’s climate and cost the same or less to install than gas heating systems, making it an obvious choice for new construction and for those whose furnaces need replacing.

It makes no sense to buy an air conditioner when a heat pump is essentially the same piece of equipment that can heat your home too, allowing you to ditch an unnecessary utility bill. Efficiency standards for gas fireplaces are a pathetic 61% making these costly appliances a waste of energy while electric options now offer similar ambiance. Induction stoves offer superior cooking performance while not exposing your family to the health dangers of gas stoves which have been shown to leak methane, benzene, and nitrogen dioxide even when turned off. These leaks increase the risk of asthma and other respiratory conditions, as well as cancer and have caused several U.S. states to require they come with health warning labels.

Kelowna is unique to most of the rest of the province; the utility that supplies fracked methane to our homes is also our electricity provider. As such, it has an important and strategic opportunity to support this managed transition from the gas system towards a resilient, electrified future instead. Rather, they chose greenwashing and expanding gas infrastructure based on an outdated business model and not adequately investing in the electrical system to keep us hooked on gas and prevent us to stop further climate breakdown.

FortisBC calls their project the “Okanagan Capacity Mitigation Project.” Mitigation means reducing, not bringing more gas into Kelowna. True capacity mitigation would be taking action to reduce peak gas demand.

What can be done instead? A starting point would be for the City of Kelowna to adopt the top level of the zero emission step code restricting gas from all new construction and for FortisBC to support converting gas homes to electric and make them more efficient to avoid the need to build LNG in our community. The Province of BC needs to start requiring credible plans for the gas and electric system to meet our future energy needs while phasing out the use of fossil fuels. For the rest of us, next time you need to replace a stove, fireplace, water heater, air conditioner, or furnace this is your chance to respond to the climate crisis by ditching gas and going electric.