Studies and Reports

Canada’s natural gas system offers affordable, reliable, clean energy — a reality that is most appreciated by citizens as we approach winter and need more energy to stay warm. This report looks at Canada’s natural gas market as we enter the 2023–2024 winter heating season. A summary of key indicators is provided to help readers understand where market fundamentals sit as the colder months approach, and furnaces are turned back on raising demand for natural gas.

(December 2023)

Canada’s natural gas system offers affordable, reliable, clean energy — a reality that is most appreciated by citizens as we approach winter and need more energy to stay warm. This report looks at Canada’s natural gas market as we enter the 2022–2023 winter heating season. A summary of key indicators is provided to help readers understand where market fundamentals sit as the colder months approach, and furnaces are turned back on raising demand for natural gas.

(November 2022)

Global Technology and Market Scan Summary Report for Distributing Hydrogen at >5% into Natural Gas Energy Delivery Systems

(October 2022)

When you think of using your stove top safely, you probably think about methods to prevent fires and burns — and those are important considerations! However, did you know that another crucial part of cooking safety is related to ventilation provided by your hood vent? That’s right! Because all cooking — no matter what type of stove you have (natural gas, propane or electric) — creates airborne emissions from the cooking process. Therefore, it is important to use your hood fan to remove airborne emissions from the home.

(September 2022)

Investors continue to see natural gas utilities as a great investment, according to a new report commissioned by the American Gas Association (AGA) and the Canadian Gas Association (CGA). The value of natural gas local distribution companies (LDCs) to investors is based on the consistency of their return on investment (ROI) and return on equity (ROE).

Natural gas is a market-ready option for municipalities looking for a clean and affordable transportation fuel for their buses, refuse collection vehicles and other fleets.

Municipalities that use natural gas vehicles have a readily-accessible pathway to reach their net-zero objectives through the use of renewable natural gas (RNG).

(May 2022)

The challenge of net zero is unprecedented – in scale, in complexity, in speed. Unlike previous energy transformations, it must be brought about primarily by public policy makers. Individual economic actors such as investors, utilities or technology developers – and in some cases consumers – have become active participants in responding to the challenge. But their ability to act and their confidence to invest depends in large measure on policy and regulation. Citizens have expressed support in principle for the goal of net zero but they have little understanding of what that means in practice and, when push comes to shove, will always give priority to costs and to the functionality (or as we have put it, the integrity) of their energy systems. If policy and regulation fail to deliver those results no emission reduction plan can survive nor, in all likelihood, will any democratic government that tries to implement such a plan.

Canada’s natural gas system offers affordable, reliable, clean energy. This report looks at the main indicators for Canada’s natural gas market as we enter the 2021–22 winter heating season. A summary of these key indicators is provided to help readers understand where market fundamentals sit as the colder months approach, furnaces are turned back on, and demand for natural gas peaks.

Natural gas is a market-ready option for municipalities looking for a clean and affordable transportation fuel for their buses, refuse collection vehicles, and other fleets. The use of natural gas in these and other medium and heavy-duty vehicles can improve air quality and save on operating costs. Furthermore, the use of renewable natural gas in transportation can provide a cost-effective pathway to net-zero emissions.

RNG (ie. biomethane) is upgraded biogas produced from organic waste from farms, forests, landfills, and water treatment plants. The gas is captured, cleaned, and injected into pipelines to be used in the same way as natural gas from any other source. Given the availability of biogas, municipalities may be in an excellent position to implement RNG systems. RNG presents a unique opportunity to tackle GHG emissions, improve local air quality, and advance a circular economy for Canadian municipalities. When implemented on a municipal scale, RNG can be used in local gas utility distribution systems, given its chemical similarity to fossil natural gas.

The Joint Utility Trenching Task Force was established by the CGA Standing Committee on Operations and Safety in order that industry members might have a place to share best practices and in order to pool these practices and capture them in a single document. Therefore this guidance document is intended to be used as a reference and a guide for organizations as they journey towards leveraging the benefits of joint trenching practices.

The goal of the guideline is to provide a baseline understanding of joint utility trenching practices for the gas industry within Canada. This is a live document and will be updated periodically.

Canada’s natural gas system offers affordable, reliable, and clean energy. This report looks at the main indicators for Canada’s natural gas market as we enter the 2020–21 winter heating season. A summary of these key indicators is provided to help readers understand where market fundamentals sit as the colder months approach, furnaces are turned back on, and demand for natural gas peaks.

The Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) Handbook was written principally for municipal elected officials and staff who are involved in solid and liquid waste management and working on the environmental file for their municipality. Knowingly or unknowingly, they are currently in a position to assess their options in terms of what to do with the biogas being produced from the natural degradation of organic materials from their existing landfills, wastewater treatment-facilities and source-separated organics (SSO)-fed anaerobic digesters. The raw biogas today may be being flared or consumed in on-site boilers or generators including combined heat and power (CHP). “Would it be more beneficial, on, for instance, a financial or environmental basis to upgrade the biogas into biomethane (a.k.a. RNG)?” is the question this Handbook assesses.

The Canadian Gas Association’s (CGA) Health and Safety Committee prepared the following document as a guide to assist its membership in conducting natural gas utility field work during a pandemic. The document includes general considerations and guidance for ongoing essential work and non-essential work for companies to build upon. The information is current as of the date of writing, but to keep the information current, it may be necessary to update its contents periodically.

As the COVID-19 crisis has continued, CGA members have identified a number of discussion points around both the physical and mental health of workers in our industry. This guidance document will specifically consider the mental health aspect.

The CGA Health and Safety Committee has developed considerations around how personnel can return to working out of their organization’s office(s), when it is appropriate to do so.

The final decision for staff to resume working out of any organization’s office(s), versus working remotely and/or in isolation, will be made by the senior management group of that organization in consultation with their Health and Safety and Human Resources professionals and in compliance with all federal, provincial and/or municipal guidance and edicts.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, natural gas utilities continue to be recognized as providers of an essential service, including by the Government of Canada. Utility workers may need to enter various premises to perform critical work functions such as responding to odour calls and performing appliance relights. You may find them wearing a form of face mask for your protection and theirs.

Canada’s natural gas system offers reliable, affordable, clean energy. This report looks at the main indicators for Canada’s natural gas market as we enter the 2019-20 winter heating season. A summary of these key indicators is provided to help readers understand where some key market fundamentals sit as the colder months approach, furnaces are turned back on, and demand for natural gas peaks.

On behalf of the Canadian Gas Association, ICF conducted a study that examines the impact of policy driven electrification in Canada. The study assesses four scenarios that quantify what effects, requirements and costs electrification of roughly 40 to 50 per cent more of energy use would impose on generation capacity, electricity infrastructure, peak demand supply capability, emission reductions, and energy affordability.

The Canadian Gas Association’s 2019 Natural Gas Solutions document discusses how Canada’s natural gas delivery industry can partner with government to support the country’s economic, environmental and energy goals – today and in the future.

The Clean Fuel Steering Committee (CFSC) is an industry-government collaboration, established in March 2019. The industry members include: the Canadian Gas Association (CGA), the Canadian Biogas Association (CBA), Advanced Biofuels Canada (ABFC), the Wood Pellets Association of Canada (WPAC), as well as Electric Mobility Canada (EMC). The objective of the CFSC was to review the competitiveness of clean fuel investment in Canada, and to develop strategies and recommendations that can achieve very meaningful reductions of GHGs across all fuel types and sectors of Canada’s economy. For the natural gas delivery industry, this included a comprehensive review with stakeholders of the most important and pressing factors for the potential growth of renewable gases in Canada, including renewable natural gas and hydrogen. Through this exercise with the federal government, it was established that 14 Mt of GHG emission reductions are attainable by introducing renewable gases into Canada’s transportation, building heat and industrial processes. To learn more about how renewable gases (through RNG and hydrogen) can play a key role in Canada’s long-term clean energy future, read Gaseous Fuels in Canada’s Low-Carbon Energy Future.

Canada’s natural gas system offers reliable, affordable, clean energy. This report looks at the main indicators for Canada’s natural gas market as we enter the 2018-19 winter heating season. A summary of these key indicators is provided to help readers understand where some key market fundamentals sit as the colder months approach, furnaces are turned back on, and demand for natural gas peaks.

The Canadian Gas Association (CGA), on behalf of its operator and manufacturer member companies and in cooperation with Measurement Canada, has undertaken a review of the process of acquiring the authorization to use a measuring instrument in trade.  The aim of this review was to identify opportunities for the applicant to streamline the process as much as possible.

The Canadian Gas Association (CGA) has developed a federal policy proposal for a Renewable Gas Innovation Program aimed at the advancement of renewable gases including renewable natural gas and hydrogen. This proposal requests $750 million to support project deployment, technology commercialization and to enhance federal laboratory R&D capacity with a focus on renewable gases.

This is CGA’s Annual Natural Gas Review: a snapshot of our industry produced once a year for broad distribution. It shows continued growth in supply and demand, all while the product remains affordable and its environmental footprint continues to decline. Affordable and clean natural gas: a Canadian advantage.

As the Canadian federal code now includes traceability requirements, the Canadian Gas Association initiated a task force to develop minimum guidelines to address code requirements. The task force was made up of both operators and suppliers to bring alignment across all stakeholders. The task force developed a guidance document which covers steel and plastic pipelines with components, along with assemblies.

The fifth edition of the newsletter has been produced by Concentric Energy Advisors. This document summarizes the latest information available on authorized ROEs and common equity ratios for over 40 Canadian gas and electric utilities. For comparison purposes, the newsletter also presents the average and median authorized ROEs and common equity ratios for U.S. gas and electric distributors, as reported by SNL Financial’s Regulatory Research Associates.

For more information on this publication, contact one of the representatives from Concentric Energy advisors noted at the bottom of the newsletter.

Liquefied Natural Gas: A Marine Fuel for the Great Lakes and Canada’s East Coast is a condensed version of the Transport Canada report TP 15347 E, Canadian Marine Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Supply Chain Project, Phase 2/3 – Great Lakes and East Coast.

Of the work carried out in Phase 1 – West Coast, many of the findings and related aspects of the work were transferable to the Great Lakes and East Coast regions of Canada. New work was required to update regulatory and policy changes since the first report and also for aspects that were found to be unique to these new regions (economic modelling, implementation scenario options based on local infrastructure, and aggregate regional environmental and economic benefit analysis). While following the same layout as the original Phase 1 – West Coast report and retaining much of the same information, this report reflects the distinct differences between the regions and the revised scope of the project (Phase 2/3 considers compressed natural gas (CNG) as an additional option for some applications).

Over 30 per cent of all the energy used in Canada each year fuels modes of transportation – from road to rail to air to marine. In Canada, the dominant transportation fuels used are gasoline and diesel, which account for nearly 85 per cent of the market. Natural gas represents 0.1 per cent of the total fuel use in transportation today, concentrated in initiatives in heavy-duty truck or small fleet truck applications. At a time when conventional transportation fuel prices are expected to rise, and their emissions are a concern for governments seeking to reduce them, more attention is being focused on natural gas as an alternative. CGA member utilities are intent on growing the market share for this affordable, low-emitting transportation fuel option. In this backgrounder, CGA explains the opportunity for natural gas as a transportation fuel, offers some specific suggestions for government action to help realize it, and explains the role of utilities in supporting it.

Natural gas has a central place in Canada’s energy mix meeting over 35 per cent of the country’s energy needs. Today over 7.1 million customers representing well over two-thirds of Canadians rely on affordable, clean, safe and reliable natural gas for heat and power in homes, apartments, buildings, businesses, hospitals and schools.

That reliability is assured because of the extensive distribution and storage infrastructure. This is especially important when temperatures fall and/or stay low for extended periods. Utilities can rely on stored natural gas to meet the demand and deliver the energy needed to heat homes, businesses and institutions during those cold winter days.

The following report focuses on natural gas storage and the role it plays in the delivery of energy solutions for Canadians. It summarizes:

• the different types of storage facilities;
• storage locations and volume capacity;
• the role that storage plays in ensuring a reliable supply of natural gas, and
• an outlook of storage levels ahead of this heating season.

Investment in transmission and distribution systems and access to an affordable, plentiful supply has dramatically changed the role of natural gas in the Canadian and continental market over several decades. At a national level, natural gas provides 32% of the energy used in Canada on an annual basis and plays a critical role as affordable energy for the Canadian economy.

Approximately 200,000 people live in nearly 300 remote communities spread across Canada that are disconnected from central energy supplies. These remote energy markets are ‘off-grid’ regions of Canada that are not connected to the North American electrical grid or to natural gas distribution pipelines. In these remote regions, reliable and cost-effective energy supply are a challenge for communities and industry, and serve as a barrier to economic development. Remote communities and industry typically rely on diesel, propane, or other fuel oils for heating and to generate their own power, all of which have to be shipped in by truck, rail, or marine vessel.

In many remote regions of Canada, liquefied natural gas (LNG) is increasingly being considered as an option to meet energy requirements. Advances in the technology used to liquefy, transport, and re-vaporize natural gas, have made LNG a viable option for remote customers. ICF worked with the CGA and Canadian natural gas distribution utilities to define the scope of expansions and type of customers that would be reached.

As governments – both provincial and federal – discuss lower GHG emissions pathways, renewable natural gas (RNG or biomethane) presents a significant and largely untapped opportunity for GHG emission-free energy for our country. Using RNG means putting renewable energy directly in an existing pipeline: showing how pipes can deliver the benefits of renewables as efficiently (and often more cost-effectively) than electric wires.

This publication outlines the potential for RNG in Canada including its role in the reduction of GHG emissions, its value as an affordable renewable energy option for natural gas markets, and the role natural gas utilities can play in delivering this clean renewable product to Canadians.