TORONTO—Ollie Sheldrick-Moyle, program manager at Clean Energy Canada, made the following statement in response to the national energy corridor agreement announced by Ontario:
“Today, ten provinces and territories have come together to identify and advance new interprovincial transmission infrastructure, expand electricity trade within Canada to maximize the use of clean power, and push for federal support to help make it happen. Strengthening Canada’s electricity connections is key to energy sovereignty, competitiveness, and affordability—and today’s agreement moves the dial on all three.
“A better-connected national grid will allow for a greater share of low-cost renewables by enabling the flow of electricity across regions to balance supply and demand, while long-distance transmission of clean power can help to minimize the need for provinces to rely on more expensive fossil generation, creating savings for ratepayers. This is good for both families and the industrial customers who need affordable, clean electricity to stay competitive.
“Clean Energy Canada has recently called for a ‘United Canada’ grid initiative—one that treats interregional transmission as a matter of national interest and gets priority projects built with urgency. Clean electricity transmission is one area where Canada is ready to move right now, and where smart federal involvement can unlock private investment at scale. Today’s agreement is provinces and territories taking the first step.
“Critically, the signatories have committed to advocating for federal investment and a national electricity strategy to match. And that’s the right call—Ottawa has a role to play in bringing additional financing and streamlining the approval process—but provinces are responsible for creating their own policy frameworks to align on energy planning. Only if both provinces and the federal government play their part can this agreement be realized at the pace required.
“Right now, Canada has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to wire itself together. Let’s make sure we apply a nation-building approach to this challenge, and realize Canada’s potential as a clean energy superpower.”