Executive Council
April 12, 2017

The following is being distributed at the request of the Council of Atlantic Premiers:

Premiers Establish Atlantic Clean Energy Partnership

The development of a new economy based on clean growth principles, development of cutting-edge technology, diversification of energy sources and more efficient use of energy creates a unique opportunity for job creation and economic growth for Atlantic Canada.

Atlantic Premiers are committed to working together to realize the potential of clean growth, building on Atlantic Canada’s position as a clean energy hub, to support innovation and job creation in the transition to this new economy.

To achieve this goal, Atlantic Premiers have established the Atlantic Clean Energy Partnership, with a focus on identifying potential enhancements to electricity generation and transmission infrastructure, the promotion of energy efficiency, as well as the demonstration, deployment, adoption, and export of clean energy technologies. The partnership will contribute to a more integrated and diverse energy distribution system that will support technological innovation, security and reliability of energy supply, and cost effectiveness.

Building on ongoing collaboration among the region’s Energy Ministers, the Atlantic Clean Energy Partnership will see provinces working together, and with the Government of Canada, to identify opportunities to improve and strengthen the region’s energy sector while meeting provinces’ objectives under the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change. These objectives are closely aligned with the goals of the Atlantic Growth Strategy, announced by Premiers and the region’s federal cabinet ministers in July 2016.

This strengthened Atlantic energy collaboration will:

• Work to address energy generation and transmission capacity needs throughout Atlantic Canada;
• Support the development of renewable and non-emitting energy sources, so as to enhance Atlantic Canada’s capacity to generate and export clean energy;
• Increase efforts to promote energy efficiency for the industrial, commercial and residential sectors, with a particular focus on low-income and Indigenous communities;
• Build on the success of smart grid and storage technology to better utilize clean electricity and further electrify the heating, transportation and industrial sectors; and
• Explore opportunities to leverage federal and private-sector funds to support transformative change in the region’s energy infrastructure.

The partnership will enable provinces to provide focus and leadership in collaborative efforts with the federal government and key partners in the region’s energy sector.

Premiers directed their Energy Ministers, working in collaboration with the region’s energy partners, to develop an action plan for the partnership by summer 2017. Atlantic Canada is leading the way in reducing greenhouse gas emissions – over the past decade, the region has cut its GHG emissions by 20 per cent. We can achieve further reductions by working together and with the federal government. Through this partnership, Atlantic Canada can achieve the goal of more efficient and environmentally responsible energy generation which will promote clean technology, innovative approaches, and new export opportunities, while advancing regional and national goals in combatting the effects of climate change.

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For further information, please contact

Tina Robichaud, Office of the Premier New Brunswick 506-453-2144

Michelle Cannizzaro Office of the Premier Newfoundland and Labrador 709-729-3960

David Jackson Office of the Premier Nova Scotia 902-424-6600

Mary Moszynski Office of the Premier Prince Edward Island 902-368-4400

2017 04 12                              2:40 p.m.