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<\/figure>[vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The federal government\u2019s recent commitment to a national coal phase-out by 2030 has reignited a conversation on using carbon capture and storage<\/a> (CCS) to reduce emissions from coal power stations. Often mentioned in this conversation is the CCS project at Boundary Dam 3 in Saskatchewan \u2013 the only commercial operating coal-fired CCS project in the world.<\/p>\nSome people point to this project as an example of what can be done to enable continued use of coal-fired power in the era of increase climate ambition. But this point isn\u2019t consistent with another point often raised in the climate debate: that the transition to low-carbon should occur through cost efficient policies, regulations and strategies. In fact, CCS and \u201cclean coal\u201d boosters often miss this point entirely, and don\u2019t consider the fact that the technology\u2019s economics simply don\u2019t stack up well against the other options on the table to clean up and modernize Canada\u2019s electricity supply.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.pembina.org\/images\/blogs\/ccs-chart-blog.png\" "\\"CCS")
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Source:\u00a0Lazard\u2019s Levelized Cost of Energy Analysis \u2013 Version 9.0, 2015<\/a>.<\/p>\n Note: Values are the averages from the ranges available for each technology, except for coal equipped with CCS, which the report lists at the high end of overall coal technology. Values for solar PV and wind are for utility-scale, not community or residential. U.S. dollars have been converted to Canadian dollars using Bank of Canada average rate for 2015.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Comparing costs between other electricity options clearly demonstrates that CCS and \u201cclean coal\u201d is not cost effective compared to readily available alternatives. In fact, energy efficiency is<\/em> the most cost effective<\/a>. Renewable energy and new natural gas electricity generation are also significantly less expensive than CCS. Renewable energy also has the advantage of being better for communities, given that it doesn\u2019t emit carbon pollution or have adverse impacts on air quality.<\/p>\n