Enbridge Inc. and its…

Enbridge Inc. and its affiliated companies (Enbridge) appreciate the opportunity to provide comments on the proposed changes to the Oil, Gas and Salt Resources Act (OGSRA) to regulate projects to test or demonstrate new or innovative activities, such as geologic carbon storage, and to safeguard people and the environment.

In the fight against climate change, experts like the International Energy Agency and the Canadian Energy Regulator agree that carbon dioxide (CO2) capture and storage/sequestration (CCS) solutions are among the most critical decarbonization technologies. In Ontario, Enbridge believes CCS will play a key role to decarbonize local industry, including steel and cement manufacturing, petrochemicals, refining and power generation, among others. CCS will also unlock and facilitate production and adoption of “blue hydrogen” or low-carbon hydrogen.

Enbridge is very pleased to see the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) proposing important steps to unlock Ontario’s CCS potential, including through the proposed amendments to the OGSRA. Enbridge has reviewed and commends the Government of Ontario (Government) on publishing a Roadmap towards Regulating Geological Storage (Roadmap).

With its extensive and growing experience with CCS projects in other jurisdictions and with gas storage and other related projects in Ontario, Enbridge has an informed perspective of how CCS projects are best enabled to address public interest considerations. Through this lens, Enbridge is providing preliminary comments and suggestions on the Roadmap, to enable successful deployment of each phase.

This submission is complementary to comments made by Enbridge on March 14, 2022 (ERO 019-4770) in response to the MNRF’s January 2022 Discussion Paper on Geologic Carbon Storage in Ontario (Discussion Paper). Subject to some updated perspectives set out in the attached document, many of the detailed recommendations that Enbridge provided in its March Submission remain relevant and we have referenced them throughout.

Please see the attachment for Enbridge's full submission.