Green Power

Following a recommendation in 1994 by the Task Force on Economic Instruments and Disincentives to Sound Economic Practices, the Government of Canada has started using renewable energy to supply their power needs. To qualify, electricity must be generated from new capacity. Green power supplies will have to meet and Maintain EcoLogo certification under Environment Canadas Environmental Choice Programme. Electricity will be bought at a premium and emission reduction credits will kept as part of a pilot project to monitor and register such credits. The first agreement was signed with Enmax, Calgarys electric system, for 2 200 MWh to supply all electricity needs for Environment Canada facilities in Alberta. City of Calgary Electric System (CCES) won a bid to supply 10 000 MWh to Natural Resources Canada in Calgary over the next ten years. Both contracts would displace approximately 10 000 t of CO2 per year. The success of the agreement subsequently led Enmax to launch Greenmax, a green electricity programme for residential and commercial customers. In Budget 2000 the government announced that it would procure Can$ 15 million of renewable energy over the next ten years in Saskatchewan and Prince Edward Island. Another agreement was signed with the Prince Edward Island and Maritime Electric Company Limited (MECL) to supply 13000 MWh annually to Government of Canada facilities during the first 10 years of production at a cost of Can $ 4.5 million and 3000 MWh annually to provincial government facilities at a cost of Can $ 1.1 million. The remaining 600 MWh/year will be sold under a voluntary green electricity fund. This should represent approximately 13 000 t of CO2 per year.

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