Thanks for the question.
As I mentioned before, the batteries here in Ontario are significantly less expensive than a new gas plant. The government issued a contract. If we want to build a new gas plant in Napanee, that plant is going to cost $1,680 per megawatt. The battery plants they offered contracts to are going to cost $680 per megawatt, so it's 40% of the cost. The batteries are significantly less expensive than gas plants. Clean Energy Canada did the analysis around this, too. If we have wind power paired with batteries, it's going to come in cheaper than gas.
Also, we know these prices are going to be set for a long time, because we're not dependent on gas, which is a volatile commodity. Its price goes up and down based on events that are beyond our control and that happen outside this country.
On your question about Canada's international obligations and the provinces, we know some provinces are not on board with the clean electricity regulations. They're not on board with net zero by 2035. I think the federal government has an obligation, and not only to do its part as a G7 country. It is a signatory to the Paris Accord. We have an international obligation to be on track for net zero, to meet the Prime Minister's commitment to a net-zero grid by 2035 and to reduce our emissions. It's not only about meeting the targets this country has set, but also about doubling down on those targets and heeding the calls to action coming from the UN Secretary-General, the International Energy Agency and everybody watching.
This climate crisis is getting worse by the day. We have to do more, and we need the federal government to exert its power to work within its constitutional authority to get all the provinces in line, as well.