New energy projects announced in Canada's North

WHITEHORSE — - WHITEHORSE — Ryan Leef, Member of Parliament for Yukon, recently announced that the Government of Canada will invest over $2 million in two innovative clean energy projects in CanadaÂ’s North.

These projects are included among 55 new innovative clean energy projects announced by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, representing an investment of more than $82 million through the Government of CanadaÂ’s ecoENERGY Innovation Initiative. The program was created to invest in new clean energy technologies that will create jobs, generate economic opportunities and help protect the environment.

“Through the ecoENERGY Innovation Initiative, our Government is investing in innovative clean energy technologies that create jobs, generate new economic opportunities and protect the environment,” said the Honourable Joe Oliver, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources. “This program demonstrates our tangible support for energy projects that drive energy innovation.”

This new announcement includes investments of:

- $500,000 to Yukon Energy Corporation, as part of a consortium led by the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations to pursue the study of a potential power generation plant fed by biomass in Haines Junction, Yukon and,

- $1,662,154 to Qulliq Energy of Iqaluit to build the first smart grid system in the Arctic, in some of the harshest environmental conditions in the world.

“This investment is good news for Canada’s North as we strive to position ourselves as a clean energy leader,” said MP Leef. “New innovative clean energy projects, like those recently announced, stimulate our local economy while helping protect the environment.”

The Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency CanNor also contributed $106,127 to the Yukon Biomass project through its Strategic Investments in Northern Economic Development SINED program.

The ecoENERGY Innovation Initiative has received $268 million in funding over five years to fund research, development and demonstration projects that produce and use energy in a more clean and efficient manner.