May 25, 2022 Montreal, Quebec Natural Resources Canada
The Government of Canada understands the creation of a low-carbon economy in Canada will require a major transformation of our complex energy systems. Electrification, supported by clean and renewable energy and grid infrastructure modernization, is a key part of the solution.
Today, Rachel Bendayan, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance, on behalf of the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources, announced an investment of nearly $5 million for the Institut de l'énergie Trottier at Polytechnique Montréal, and their partner organizations, the Institute for Integrated Energy Systems at University of Victoria and the School of Public Policy at University of Calgary, to establish the Energy Modelling Hub to help realize a decarbonized energy system for Canada.
The new Hub will create a national network of energy and electricity modellers, policymakers and other experts to guide the transformation of our complex energy systems to provide evidence-based insights and made-in-Canada solutions. Linking modellers and policymakers across Canada will help bridge the gap between data and policy, ensuring modelling activities inform the response to the most pressing energy policy questions of our time.
The four-year project is led by Dr. Normand Mousseau and Louis Beaumier from the Institut de l'énergie Trottier at Polytechnique Montréal, Dr. Madeleine McPherson from the Institute for Integrated Energy Systems at University of Victoria, and Dr. Blake Shaffer from the School of Public Policy at University of Calgary.
Federal funding for this project is provided by Natural Resources Canada's Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program (SREPs), a four-year, $964-million program, which provides support for smart renewable energy and electrical grid modernization projects. This program will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions by enabling increased renewable energy capacity that will provide essential grid services while supporting Canada's ongoing transition to a net-zero economy by 2050 and Canada's commitment to achieve a 100 percent net-zero-emitting electricity system by 2035.
Canada's 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan: Clean Air, Strong Economy, ensures Canada will remain a world leader in clean power. In Budget 2022, Canada committed to investing an additional $600 million over five years to the SREPs program to continue to support renewable electricity and grid modernization projects.
