Carney Unveils Plan to Double Canada Grid by 2050

OTTAWA, Canada — Prime Minister Mark Carney unveiled a national electricity strategy Thursday aimed at doubling Canada's power grid capacity by 2050 to meet rising demand from electric vehicles, data centers and industrial growth, while incorporating natural gas alongside renewables to ensure affordability and reliability.

Speaking at a news conference on Parliament Hill, Carney described the plan as a response to global challenges, including trade tariffs and higher energy costs. "The path to affordability is electrification. The path to competitiveness is electrification. The path to net zero is electricity," he said. The strategy forecasts construction costs exceeding 1 trillion Canadian dollars and the creation of 130,000 jobs, with 30,000 expected by the end of 2028. It calls for new partnerships with Indigenous communities, expanded transmission lines to connect provincial grids, tax credits and energy-saving retrofits for up to one million households.

The plan adjusts clean electricity regulations established under the previous Liberal government, which imposed strict carbon dioxide limits on fossil fuel-based generation to achieve a net-zero grid by 2035. Carney's...