Quebec has set a 2040 deadline to remove fossil fuels from all buildings, except those in the industrial sector.

On Monday morning, Environment Minister Benoit Charette and Energy Minister Christine Fréchette announced “a plan to achieve 100% renewable energy by 2040,” The Canadian Press reports.

The goal is to phase out fossil fuels for heating buildings and ensure a transition to renewable energy, “while considering Quebec’s energy supply capacity.”

In recent months, several municipalities, with Prévost in the Laurentians being the first, have banned the installation of gas systems in new residences.

In a statement, Quebec said its plan “draws inspiration from municipal regulations in force for new residential buildings” and “targets residential, commercial, and institutional buildings, both new and existing.”

The approach, “designed in collaboration with distributors,” includes energy efficiency, electrification,  and optimal use of other renewable energy forms, the government said in a statement.

The decarbonization plan includes changes to two provincial regulations. The Regulation on Oil Heating Appliances will be expanded to prohibit “the installation of natural gas heating appliances in new residential buildings of less than 600 square metres and three stories or fewer, to prioritize electrification.”

An exemption will be granted to the Outaouais region due to its specific “energy ecosystem.” However, the gas distributor for the region, Gazifère, must submit a decarbonization plan in the coming months.

The regulation concerning the amount of renewable natural (RNG) gas to be delivered by a gas distributor will also be revised, with a tougher mandate for distributors “to gradually reduce the amount of fossil natural gas delivered to residential, commercial, and institutional consumers.”

Distributors like Énergir will therefore have to increase the percentage of RNG, which is produced from feedstocks like organic waste. And existing buildings outside the Outaouais region that are supplied with natural gas will have to shift to 100% renewable energy.

The province will take the two regulatory changes out for consultation next year.

“After regulating heating oil, we are now targeting natural gas, another fossil fuel,” Charette said in a statement. “In collaboration with our energy sector partners and municipalities, we will implement measures to ensure an orderly transition to renewable energy, while ensuring a gradual adaptation for consumers.”

Fréchette added that decarbonization “is a societal project that we will succeed in together.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Nov. 18, 2024.