Government of Canada Continues Progress on Greening Operations and Supporting Clean Electricity Infrastructure
October 22, 2024
The Government of Canada is taking further action on its Greening Government Strategy commitment to use 100 per cent clean electricity in federal buildings. This strategy supports green energy projects and reduces greenhouse gas emissions, leading Canada’s continued energy transition.
Contracts totalling over $73 million have been awarded to hep solar and South Head Switch Power, for the supply of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs).
These contracts support the Government of Canada’s commitment to the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. The announcement aligns with Public Services and Procurement Canada’s (PSPC) clean electricity initiative and Canada’s ongoing commitment to invest in renewable energy. These contracts will supply 100,600 RECs annually from new clean electricity solar facilities.
This agreement will enable the Government of Canada to attribute its electricity consumption as being clean in regions where opportunities for new clean renewable sources are not yet available, while supporting the creation of new green energy facilities. The RECs will reduce up to 32,600 tonnes of Carbon Dioxide Equivalent (eCO2) for the Government of Canada’s real property operations, which is equivalent to the annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of more than 9,980 gas-powered passenger vehicles.
Furthermore, these contracts will help promote Indigenous business capacity in the clean energy sector and contribute to Canada’s efforts to strengthen economic relationships with Indigenous entrepreneurs. South Head Energy is an Indigenous-owned business, and South Head Switch Power is joint venture with Switch Power, which is registered with the Indigenous Business Directory.
Quick facts
- Green power is electricity that is produced from non-greenhouse gas emitting energy sources. In Canada, the majority of clean electricity generation in its provinces and territories comes from hydroelectric, nuclear, wind, and solar power generation.
- Currently, 80 per cent of power consumed by the Government of Canada comes from clean sources supplied by the provincial and territorial utility grids.
- This initiative forms the majority of a broader procurement strategy to secure the equivalent of 128,000 MWh/year worth of Renewable Energy Certificates linked to new clean energy generation in Canada. This enables the Government of Canada to apply environmental attributes to electricity consumption in regions where new clean renewable sources are not yet available.
- One REC represents one megawatt hour (MWh) of electricity, or 1,000 kilowatt hours (kWh). Using Natural Resources Canada’s Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator, we can see that 100,600 RECs is equivalent to 100,600,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity, or the electricity use of approximately 8,768 homes in one year.
