Commentary by Ryan Mitchell
Canada’s electricity sector faces a considerable challenge: by 2035, we must be carbon neutral.
That is daunting on its own, considering that much of what we need to get there is still under development.
At the same time, though, utilities across this country have to prepare themselves to meet an escalating demand for electricity. By 2050, we collectively expect to have to deliver double to triple the amount of electricity we provide to homes and businesses – all of it net-zero power.
Confronting these dual challenges is unprecedented. It will take resolve. It will take ingenuity. It will take dedication and collaboration.
At Saint John Energy, we’re ready to tackle these head on.
Significant leap forward
We are taking a significant leap forward with Zero30, one of the most important initiatives we’ve embarked on over our 100-year history.
Made possible by nearly $4 million in funding announced today by Saint John-Rothesay MP Wayne Long on behalf of Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, Zero30 will be our roadmap to a net-zero future.
This will help us understand what it would take for us to achieve net-zero emissions by 2030 in our own operations. This will include what we can do to help our customers lower their emissions.
We know that reaching net zero itself on that timeline will be a challenge.
Art of the possible
The very first step will be an exercise in the art of the possible: mapping out how we might do that with Zero30.
We do this knowing that net zero – achieving a balance between the amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere and the amount removed – is the most pressing effort being pursued to mitigate climate change.
As set out internationally in the Paris Agreement on climate change, countries around the world are striving to reach net zero by 2050 in a bid to limit global warming by 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
In order for Canada to reach that goal, the federal government has mandated that electricity companies achieve net zero by 2035.
For the last two years, Saint John Energy has embraced a vision to be a national utility leader in the transition to net zero. This is why we have set our sights on 2030.
Critical to success
We also believe that a rigorous, proactive and well-planned strategy is critical to success.
Zero30 will be that strategy.
Under this initiative, from today through 2025, we will build a roadmap to how we might reach net-zero emissions in our operations. We will do so across three fronts: achieving an even cleaner energy supply, planning for a future with a significantly greater demand for electricity, and innovating with our customers.
“We start on the journey with solid footing. New Brunswick’s electricity supply is already amongst the cleanest in the world, with an impressive 80 per cent of our electricity coming from non-emitting sources, including hydro, wind, and nuclear-generated electricity from the Point Lepreau Generating Station.”
Embracing renewable energy
At Saint John Energy, we will satisfy an additional 15 per cent of our supply requirements with clean energy with Burchill Wind, a 42-megawatt wind farm – the first utility-scale wind farm in the history of Saint John. The 10-turbine site in Lorneville, owned by Natural Forces and Neqotkuk, is set to deliver.
That leaves us with finding ways to cover the remainder of today’s requirement – plus the expected escalation of demand into the future. This could mean embracing new renewable energy projects, energy storage, as well as ways to store or remove carbon.
With Zero30, we will work in collaboration with NB Power along with leading partners across the country and around the world to find the solutions and the best way to implement them.
Saint John Energy maintains one of the most affordable and reliable grids in Canada and we are working hard to prepare for that escalation in demand. Anticipating future needs, we developed a smart grid to improve efficiency and to handle the added complexity.
Still, to meet the additional demand, we will need to physically build out our grid. A key component of Zero30 will be laying out how and where our grid will need to evolve so we can strategically prioritize our investments in the system.
Helping our customers
As we map our way to net zero by 2030, we will be exploring ways in which we can help our customers do the same. This will include looking at what leadership role we should play with innovations in EV charging, energy efficiency, in renewable energy options such as rooftop solar, in home comfort and in energy efficiency.
Zero30 will not end with a long and exhaustive report that sits on a shelf. Instead, it will be a dynamic roadmap, modelling various scenarios and potential actions as we make progress in creating a greener energy future.
As innovation happens, as the environment around us starts to change, and as we’re confronted with various opportunities and challenges, those will be reflected in our Zero30 modelling and forecasts. The roadmap will be continually updated as we navigate the way.
Like any bold and aspirational goal, achieving net zero will be a true community effort.
We will be seeking input and ideas from the community and stakeholders through surveys and in-person gatherings. Those ideas will be essential for plotting the course forward with Zero30.
Spurring new opportunities
It is important to underscore that achieving net zero isn’t about doing without – or, at least we don’t see it that way.
“We see it as a journey that will spur new opportunities. The move to cleaner energy will require innovation and action that will boost our local and provincial economies, spurring new technologies, new companies, new ideas and new approaches.”
Our vision is to be a national utility leader in the race to net zero. And plotting out the Zero30 roadmap – illuminating the different routes to reaching net zero – is the first step to ensuring success and the benefits that will flow from it.
When 2030 arrives, will Saint John Energy have achieved net zero?
Much depends on our success, including efforts outside our own. It’ll depend on how quickly technology progresses. It’ll depend on the cost effectiveness of the options that Zero30 maps out. It’ll depend on what commitments we can secure.
But we’re determined to try, believing that nothing is impossible.
We invite you to join us on the journey. Find out more at www.zero30.ca.
Our vision is to be a national utility leader in the race to net zero. And plotting out the Zero30 roadmap – illuminating the different routes to reaching net zero – is the first step to ensuring success and the benefits that will flow from it.
When 2030 arrives, will Saint John Energy have achieved net zero?
Much depends on our success, including efforts outside our own. It’ll depend on how quickly technology progresses. It’ll depend on the cost effectiveness of the options that Zero30 maps out. It’ll depend on what commitments we can secure.
But we’re determined to try, believing that nothing is impossible.
We invite you to join us on the journey. Find out more at www.zero30.ca.
Ryan Mitchell is President & CEO of Saint John Energy.
