Government of Canada to support clean air and local economic growth by powering federal operations in Alberta and Saskatchewan with clean electricity

EDMONTON, AB, Feb. 3, 2023 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada is taking meaningful action on its Greening Government Strategy commitment to power federal buildings with 100% renewable electricity by 2025 to help fight climate change and support local renewable electricity projects.

Today, the Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance, on behalf of the Honourable Helena Jaczek, Minister of Public Services and Procurement, announced 2 initiatives in Alberta and Saskatchewan that support the Government of Canada's commitment to investing in renewable energy and achieving the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) has awarded Capital Power a 23-year contract valued up to $500 million, to power federal buildings in Alberta with green electricity, effective January 1, 2023. The contract value is based on an estimated 250,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) of annual electricity required by federal facilities in the province. This electricity will be attributed to a new proposed wind energy generation facility in Alberta, expected to be operational by January 1, 2025. As part of the agreement, Capital Power will secure an equity partnership with local Indigenous organizations related to the project.

Minister Boissonnault also announced that PSPC signed an agreement with Saskatchewan's main supplier of electricity, SaskPower, to power federal government operations in Saskatchewan using renewable electricity, which totals about 87,000 MWh of electricity per year. With this agreement, the federal government supports the ongoing development of renewable electricity infrastructure within the province.

Up to 25% of the federal government's electricity consumption will be attributed to new solar projects within the province, which began operating in summer 2022. The remaining 75% will come from a new Saskatchewan-based wind energy generation project expected to be operational by 2024. These projects include opportunities for Indigenous participation through facility development partnerships and/or employment and training opportunities.

Once these projects in Alberta and Saskatchewan are fully operational, the Government of Canada's combined emissions in these provinces will be reduced by about 166 kilotonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (ktCO2e), which is equivalent to the annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of more than 50,800 gas-powered passenger vehicles.

Quotes

"These initiatives are an important step to support communities and protect our environment, by investing in renewable electricity. Through long-term projects like these, we are greening federal operations, fighting climate change and creating a healthier environment for Canadians."

The Honourable Helena Jaczek
Minister of Public Services and Procurement Canada

"Today's announcement is another step towards reaching our government's emission reduction targets. Our agreement today with Capital Power and Saskpower will remove the GHG emissions equivalent of 50,800 cars off our roads, and grow the economy right here on the Prairies."

The Honourable Randy Boissonnault
Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance

"Our government is taking real action to fight climate change and is committed to greening our buildings through the use of 100% clean electricity, in line with the commitments we've made through the Greening Government Strategy. These agreements are a key step on the path to net-zero government operations by 2050."

The Honourable Mona Fortier
President of the Treasury Board of Canada

"Moving to green energy at Government of Canada facilities in Alberta and Saskatchewan, including at Parks Canada administered places, will help reduce GHG emissions and impacts of climate change. Parks Canada welcomes millions of visitors annually to experience nature and learn more about natural and cultural history. Soon, these iconic destinations will also serve as visible examples of the potential for green energy solutions."

The Honourable Steven Guilbeault
Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada

"As the largest federal electricity consumer, National Defence and our government writ-large are committed to reducing emissions where our personnel live, work and train. Today's announcement will ensure that all federal National Defence buildings in Saskatchewan and Alberta are entirely powered with clean electricity by 2025. These contracts will create sustainable economic opportunities for local and Indigenous businesses while continuing to ensure that our Canadian Armed Forces personnel have the modern facilities and infrastructure they need to do the jobs that we ask of them."

The Honourable Anita Anand
Minister of National Defence

"We're proud to deliver clean electricity to the Alberta grid to meet 100% of the electricity demand from the Government of Canada's buildings across the province. Collaborative agreements like this support our collective net-zero goals, provide opportunities to meaningfully engage Indigenous communities, and help advance the development of renewable power generation facilities."

Chris Kopecky
Senior Vice President, Chief Legal, Development and Commercial Officer of Capital Power

Quick facts

• Green power is electricity produced from non-GHG emitting energy sources. In Canada, the majority of clean electricity generation in the provinces and territories comes from hydroelectric, nuclear, wind and solar power generation.
• Currently, 80% of power consumed by the Government of Canada comes from clean sources supplied by the provincial and territorial utility grids.
• In addition to the Alberta and Saskatchewan initiatives, Canada is also developing a procurement strategy to buy the equivalent of 128,000 MWh per year worth of new clean energy generation in Canada, which would enable the federal government to attribute its energy consumption as being clean in regions where new clean renewable sources are not yet available.
• These initiatives build on Canada's existing work in greening federal operations across the country. In August 2019, PSPC entered into an Agreement for Implementation to Purchase Net-New Renewable Electricity with the Province of Nova Scotia. The Province of Nova Scotia subsequently announced the creation of the Green Choice Program in March 2020, a clean electricity procurement program for the federal government and other large provincial electricity customers.
• Discussions are also ongoing between PSPC and the Province of New Brunswick to identify a clean electricity program for federal facilities.

Associated links

• Government of Canada's Greening Government Strategy
• Greener federal buildings
• Clean energy initiatives 
• Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act
• The Government of Canada takes action to fight climate change and grow the economy

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SOURCE Public Services and Procurement Canada

Olivier Pilon, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Helena Jaczek, 613-323-6621, [email protected]; Media Relations, Public Services and Procurement Canada, 819-420-5501, [email protected]