Hydrogen

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland today released Budget 2023: A Made-in-Canada Plan (Budget 2023). Resilient’s bulletin outlines key climate, energy, and Indigenous highlights from Budget 2023. Clean Electricity, Clean Economy Budget 2023 introduces “Canada’s Plan for a Clean Economy” (the Clean Economy Plan) with the following priorities: electrification; clean energy; clean manufacturing; emissions reduction; critical minerals; infrastructure; electric vehicles and batteries; and major projects. The Clean Economy Plan is centred on three tiers of federal financial incentives: (i) an anchor regime of clear and predictable investment tax credits; (ii) low-cost strategic financing; and (iii) targeted investments and programming to respond to the unique needs of sectors or projects of national economic significance. Clean Electricity. Budget 2023 notes that Canada’s electricity demand is expected to double by 2050 and will require electricity capacity to increase by 2.2 to 3.4 times compared to current levels and proposes the following new funding and investments to support clean electricity in Canada: Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) will invest at least $10B through its Clean Power priority area, and at least $10B through its Green Infrastructure priority area, at least $20B to support the building of major clean electricity and clean growth infrastructure projects; $3B over 13 years to Natural Resources Canada to: Recapitalize funding for the Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program to support critical regional priorities and Indigenous-led projects, and add transmission projects to the program’s eligibility; Renew the Smart Grid program to continue to support electricity grid innovation; and Create new investments in science-based activities to help capitalize on Canada’s offshore wind potential, particularly off the coasts of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador. funding to advance the Atlantic Loop and support ongoing negotiations with provinces and utilities to identify a clear path to deliver the project by 2030. Clean Economy. Budget 2023 proposes the following new funding and support for…

Canada and Alberta are accelerating their phase down of all coal-fired electricity generation assets and the ripple effect is evident in the actions of leading energy corporations. Yesterday, ATCO, a Calgary-based energy company, announced new ESG targets for 2030 and a commitment to achieve net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050. This follows actions to reduce its operational GHG emissions by 90 per cent between 2019 and 2020, in part, through the sale of its Canadian fossil fuel-based electricity generation assets. ATCO indicates that the company will accelerate the deployment and use of clean hydrogen, energy storage, renewable electricity, and energy efficiency technologies to achieve its net zero commitment by 2050. In addition, it will work with government to support enabling policy and regulation and identify barriers for a cost-effective decarbonization of the economy. ATCO’s ESG targets include: reducing net operational GHG emissions to earnings intensity by 30 per cent; reducing customer GHG emissions by 2 million tonnes through participation in renewable energy, clean fuels, energy efficiency, and energy infrastructure projects; owning, developing, or managing over 1,000 MW of renewable energy; and deriving 20 per cent of revenues from transitional product categories (such as renewable natural gas and hydrogen). These changes precede what is anticipated to be mandatory climate-related financial disclosures being announced and imposed by the Canadian Securities Administrators (see our earlier bulletin on proposed climate-related disclosure requirements here). We expect other energy corporations to also make bold announcements in the coming months. For further information or to discuss the contents of this bulletin, please contact Lisa DeMarco at lisa@resilientllp.com.

Federal Government Releases 2023 Budget Long on Clean Economy Investment

Canadian Energy Sector in Transition: ATCO Commits to Net Zero by 2050 and Announces Other ESG Targets