MP Battiste Announces Over $1.3 million to Unlock Clean Geothermal Energy in Nova Scotia, Highlights Clean Investments in Fall Economic Statement Français

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Natural Resources Canada

Nov 09, 2022, 13:00 ET

MEMBERTOU, NS, Nov. 9, 2022 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada is advancing our transition to a low-carbon economy in Canada through strategic investments and innovative partnerships. As part of this commitment, Canada is moving forward on the deployment of smart renewable energy and enabling grid modernization technologies in various communities across the country to support the clean energy transition and the fight against climate change. Geothermal energy is one such type of clean, renewable energy that will help Canada achieve our ambitious climate targets.

Today, Jaime Battiste, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Member of Parliament for Sydney–Victoria, on behalf of the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources, announced an investment of over $1.3 million in Net Zero Atlantic for the Community Geothermal Resource Capacity Assessment and Training Program (GeoCAT).

The project will build development capacity for mid-depth geothermal energy–based projects in five Mi'kmaw and twelve rural communities in Nova Scotia.

Working with Mi'kmaw groups, the Unama'ki Institute of Natural Resources and the Confederacy of Mainland Mi'kmaq, as well as local communities, the GeoCAT program will transfer geothermal resource and project development knowledge to local community representatives, who will assess community-specific infrastructure and interest in geothermal project development. The community representatives, with supporting project development expertise, will then teach interested residents how such projects can be achieved in their communities.

Net Zero Atlantic, the Confederacy of Mainland Mi'kmaq and the Government of Nova Scotia's Department of Natural Resources and Renewables are also contributing to the project, bringing the total investment to over $1.4 million.

This investment demonstrates the Government of Canada's commitment to developing cleaner electricity supplies. Projects that seek to explore and modernize geothermal technologies to lower emissions by creating  greener electrical grids will help Canada achieve a net-zero-emitting electricity system by 2035 while meeting our ambitious climate targets.

MP Battiste also highlighted the 2022 Fall Economic Statement, which includes a refundable investment tax credit for clean technologies, including clean energy generation and storage. The statement also included the creation of a Sustainable Jobs Training Centre and Secretariat, which will support thousands of workers in skills training and placements in the low-carbon economy.

Quotes

"Today's announcement of over $1.3 million in support for Net Zero Atlantic's geothermal program represents a step closer to net zero. In the recent Fall Economic Statement, the Government of Canada announced support for clean energy and technologies and the creation of a sustainable jobs training centre and secretariat. Smart investments like those announced today are enabling a sustainable and prosperous low-carbon future powered by clean, abundant and reliable energy."

The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson
Minister of Natural Resources

"I was pleased to join Net Zero Atlantic today to announce over $1.3 million in federal support for rural and Mi'kmaw communities to develop the foundations for clean geothermal energy. Indigenous and rural communities across Canada are fighting climate change and generating clean and reliable energy as we fight climate change. Paired with the newly announced Clean Technology Tax Credit, the Government of Canada is supporting the solutions we need to create good jobs and clean energy in Cape Breton and across the country."

Jaime Battiste
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations,
Member of Parliament for Sydney–Victoria

"Our team at Net Zero Atlantic is eager to collaborate with our project partners to build geothermal resources and project development knowledge in rural and Mi'kmaw communities. Through our work, we focus on advancing a sustainable and inclusive transition into a carbon-neutral future in Atlantic Canada. Achieving that is going to require continuous collaboration as we seek to understand and develop cleaner sources of energy."

Alisdair McLean
Executive Director, Net Zero Atlantic

Quick Facts
  • The 2022 Fall Economic Statement proposes a refundable Clean Technology Tax Credit equal to 30 percent of the capital cost of investments in:
    • Electricity Generation Systems, including solar photovoltaic, small modular nuclear reactors, concentrated solar, wind, and water (small hydro, run-of-river, wave and tidal);
    • Stationary Electricity Storage Systems that do not use fossil fuels in their operation, including but not limited to: batteries, flywheels, supercapacitors, magnetic energy storage, compressed air energy storage, pumped hydro storage, gravity energy storage and thermal energy storage;
    • Low-Carbon Heat Equipment, including active solar heating, air-source heat pumps and ground-source heat pumps; and
    • Industrial zero-emission vehicles and related charging or refuelling equipment, such as hydrogen or electric heavy duty equipment used in mining or construction.
  • The 2022 Fall Economic Statement also proposes $250 million over five years, starting in 2023–24, to help Canadian workers thrive in a changing global economy. Specific measures include:
    • The Sustainable Jobs Training Centre to bring together workers, unions, employers and training institutions across the country to examine the skills of the labour force today, forecast future skills requirements and develop curriculum, micro-credentials and on-site learning to help 15,000 workers upgrade or gain new skills for jobs in a low-carbon economy. The Centre would focus on specific areas in high demand, starting with the sustainable battery industry and low-carbon building and retrofits.
    • A new sustainable jobs stream under the Union Training and Innovation Program to support unions in leading the development of green skills training for workers in the trades. It is expected that 20,000 apprentices and journeypersons would benefit from this investment.
    • The Sustainable Jobs Secretariat, a one-stop shop that would provide the most up-to-date information on federal programs, funding and services across government departments to support workers on the road to sustainable, good-paying jobs. 
  • Federal funding for this project is provided by Canada's Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways (SREPs) program, a $1.56-billion program that provides support for smart renewable energy and electrical grid modernization projects, including projects that support capacity building. This program will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions by enabling increased renewable energy capacity that will provide essential grid services while supporting Canada's ongoing transition to a net-zero economy by 2050 as well as Canada's commitment to achieving a 100-percent net-zero-emitting electricity system by 2035.
  • Canada's 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan: Clean Air, Strong Economy ensures Canada will remain a world leader in clean power.
  • This investment is yet another step in reaching Canada's target of a net-zero grid by 2035. And just like investments in everything from clean energy to nature protection, today's announcement is part of achieving Canada's ambitious climate change goals to build a cleaner, healthier and affordable future for all Canadians.
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SOURCE Natural Resources Canada

Media Relations, Natural Resources Canada, Ottawa, 343-292-6100, [email protected]; Keean Nembhard, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Natural Resources, 613-323-7892, [email protected]; Stacey Pineau, Net Zero Atlantic, 506-478-0596, [email protected]

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