Requirement for all new vehicles to be sold by 2035 to be zero-emissions, could increase power demand by 13.5%

PRINCE GEORGE — The federal government is mandating that all new vehicles sold by 2035 in Canada will need to be electric, but this could increase the country’s power demands by as much as 13.5 percent, according to a new study from the Fraser Institute.

For context, once Canada’s vehicle fleet is fully electric, it could require as many 10 new mega hydro dams, capable of producing 1,100 megawatts, nationwide. Alternatively, the provinces could meet the increased electricity demand by building 13 large-scale natural gas plants nationwide capable of generating 500 megawatts of electricity each. However cost and manpower issues present themselves when it comes to building new plants.

“Requiring all new vehicle sales in Canada to be electric in just 11 years means the provinces need to substantially increase their power generation capabilities, and adding the equivalent of 10 new mega dams or 13 new gas plants in such a short timeline isn’t realistic or feasible,” said G. Cornelis van Kooten, Fraser Institute senior fellow and author of Electric Vehicles and the Demand for Electricity.