Sydney, Nova Scotia - The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence and Minister for the Atlantic Gateway and the Honourable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Natural Resources today announced a federal investment of $4 million in the Atlantic Energy Gateway Initiative. Through this initiative, the Government of Canada will encourage the development of additional clean and renewable energy supplies in Atlantic Canada while actively promoting Atlantic Canadian renewable energy to new markets.

"The Atlantic Energy Gateway has the potential to not only meet the clean and renewable energy needs of Atlantic Canadians, but also help our region tap into a major market opportunity by selling our surplus to the energy-hungry United States," said Minister MacKay. "This investment by our Government is intended to support and facilitate greater collaboration between the critical players in this sector, most notably the four Atlantic provincial governments and the private sector."

The federal investment will support collaboration and foster common understanding on the opportunities and challenges in pursuing clean and renewable energy projects, including wind, tidal/ocean, hydro and nuclear energy. It will also foster the adoption of best practices to expedite the development of clean and renewable energy projects in Atlantic Canada and build a sustainable new energy sector for the 21st century.

"Producing more clean energy, and becoming cleaner producers and consumers of conventional energy is not just environmentally responsible; it's a competitive necessity," said Minister Raitt. With today's investment, and others in Canada's Economic Action Plan, our Government is helping to position Atlantic Canada as a clean energy powerhouse."

Today, Atlantic Canada's energy sector accounts for approximately 10 per cent of Atlantic Canada's GDP, representing over 12,000 jobs. Developing additional sources of clean and renewable energy will strengthen the region's economy and create new job opportunities. Construction, manufacturing, training and professional services, research and development all stand to benefit from pursuing opportunities in clean and renewable energy projects.

To support the initiative, Minister MacKay will invite each of the Atlantic Premiers to nominate a senior official to work collaboratively with officials from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) and NRCan as part of an Atlantic Energy Gateway Committee. This committee will act as a forum for collaboration and information exchange on renewable energy development in the region, and it will work closely with officials from the region's utilities and private sector. It will work toward developing a common base of information and compiling data on development and growth of the sector, with a focus on identifying gaps and best practices.

Specifically, the initiative will focus on:

• Assessment of evolving domestic and US markets for clean and renewable energy generated in Atlantic Canada, with special emphasis on the US Northeast market.
• A survey of international best practices for regulation and development of wind, tidal and other forms of renewable energy.
• Development of an inventory of existing, proposed and potential clean and renewable energy projects across the region.
• Major impediments to expeditious growth of the sector, including:
  • regional and international infrastructure capacity and accessibility;
  • R&D and technology transfer/adaptation issues related to sectoral development; and
  • Project financing and access to capital.

In the spirit of collaboration among partners to advance the region's clean and renewable energy agenda forward, Minister MacKay also indicated that he will be inviting Premiers and industry leaders to participate in an Atlantic Energy Summit. Details about the summit will be made public in the near future.

• The Atlantic Energy Gateway - Backgrounder