Long-term National Infrastructure Plan Must Include Electricity and Address Regulatory Challenges

OTTAWA - - Minister Lebel acknowledges “pressing need for clean energy infrastructure and the reinforcement and expansion of existing electricity transmission systems”

Yesterdayʼs announcement that the Government of Canada will consult stakeholders to develop a long-term national infrastructure plan recognized the need for electricity infrastructure renewal. It was a positive signal for Canadaʼs electricity sector.

“Federal funding and financial support for electricity projects has made some projects economic, but any long-term infrastructure plan must acknowledge that improving federal regulatory processes is an essential precursor to ensuring that projects can go forward in a timely manner,” said Canadian Electricity Association President and CEO Pierre Guimond, “regardless of whether they are funded publicly or privately.”

Estimates from the Conference Board of Canada and the International Energy Agency IEA conclude that to maintain existing assets and meet market growth, investments of at least $293 billion over the next twenty years $15 billion annually are required for the renewal of Canadaʼs electricity infrastructure.

In the last decade, electricity infrastructure projects have faced growing legislative and regulatory complexity, characterized by lengthy and often duplicative regulatory processes, for existing and planned projects. Reform of key federal acts will create a stable and predictable climate for investment that will enable these projects – and the immense economic benefits they will create, particularly job creation – to go forward.