N.B. needs to be ‘winner’ in energy transition: economist

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A working group set to report back to the New Brunswick government in June is appealing for public feedback on the province’s new energy strategy.

The Tories unveiled their plan in December to meet federal Liberal government targets of phasing out coal-fired power plants by 2030 on the way to a net-zero electricity grid by 2035.

New Brunswick’s plan calls for the doubling of nuclear power, as well as increasing wind and solar energy production by almost five times. It also supports the development of hydrogen, biofuels and other new energy sources.

An energy transition working group was struck in February to gather public feedback on the plan and report back to the government in June. The group is comprised of Wayne Power, chair of the Energy Secretariat; Michelle Robichaud, president of the Atlantica Centre for Energy; Jim Ward, general manager of the North Shore Mi’kmag Tribal Council; and David Campbell, president of Jupia Consultants Inc.

“I wanted to (be on the working group) because I think there’s going to be winners and losers in this energy transition in terms of jurisdictions, and I want to make sure we’re a winner,” said Campbell, the province’s former chief economist, at a Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME) conference held in Fredericton on March 26.

Premier Blaine Higgs has previously suggested the province’s new energy strategy isn’t “practical” or “realistic,” citing concerns over the federal government’s “too aggressive” timelines for provinces to make the move to new energy sources.

Higgs has also criticized the Justin Trudeau government’s plan to phase out the sale of new gas-powered vehicles in Canada by 2035, also as unrealistic.

Campbell also shares the premier’s skepticism over that deadline.

“I think that (target is) a little ambitious. But what we’re trying to do with that here in the province is try to align with that over a period of time,” he said.

Part of New Brunswick’s challenge in its clean energy transition is tied to the province’s growing population, Campbell said. By 2035, New Brunswick’s population is expected to reach 935,000 – up from about 850,000 right now – and with that comes increased demand for clean energy.

However, Campbell said this demand “does my heart good” after two decades of carbon reduction coming solely from the closure of pulp and paper mills.

His working group is in the middle of collecting feedback on the province’s energy strategy to help the government shape its next steps. A survey has been posted on the government website to collect opinions from the general public and from “major” stakeholders.

“We want to get feedback from industry, from companies, from key stakeholders about what the government is moving forward on this,” Campbell said, “and then we’re going to take that back to government and say, ‘Look, this is what we’re hearing from the CME, the business council, from other stakeholders in the province.’”

Clean energy projects underway

Saint John-headquartered Irving Oil – owner of Canada’s largest refinery – is already working on steps in its own clean energy transition strategy. The company has set a target of a 30 per cent reduction in its greenhouse gas emissions by the end of 2030 toward achieving net zero by 2050.

More than 90 per cent of the company’s emissions are the result of its Saint John and Ireland refineries, but the development of new clean energy sources isn’t only to meet its own needs, said Andy Carson, director of energy transition for Irving Oil.

The company – whose Saint John refinery is one of the largest hydrogen producers and users in Canada – is focused on making some of its low-carbon hydrogen available, “even in a very initial way,” to transportation companies, local governments and other customers, he said.

“We’re the largest consumer of natural gas in all of Atlantic Canada, which gives us the right, we think, to begin producing and causing natural gas projects around us,” he added during a presentation at the CME conference.

At its Ireland refinery, Carson said renewable diesel is already available to transportation customers. It’s a fuel created from cooking oil and other renewable feedstocks rather than crude oil.

Carson said its transportation customers don’t have to retool their fleet in order to use renewable diesel.

“We think that’s a compelling solution for the Irish market,” he said. “We’re continuing to grow that focus in terms of renewable diesel production and think very actively about the future where some of those lessons and learnings can be spread across other parts of our operations.”

– With files from Brunswick News archives