Energy Strategies - Newfoundland and Labrador

Ministry of Energy

Department of Natural Resources


Minister

The Honourable Kathy Dunderdale


Documents


Newfoundland and Labrador Overview

Released in 2007, Focusing Our Energy provides a summary of Newfoundland and Labrador’s energy strategy outlines four key focus areas — oil and natural gas, electricity, environment and economy — with the latter two categories underlying the development of Newfoundland and Labrador’s energy resources. Both onshore and offshore petroleum development are outlined, with the strategy calling for a review of the onshore petroleum regulatory structure and the “establishment of an internationally competitive Generic Offshore Oil Royalty Regime in line with the principles and structure of the Offshore Natural Gas Royalty Regime.” Electricity, meanwhile, features prominently given the province’s status as an exporter of electricity. Focusing Our Energy affirms the importance of the development of the Lower Churchill Hydroelectric Project and plans for a transmission link between Labrador and the Island in conjunction with the same, as well as a more general focus on the province’s connections to adjoining jurisdictions. The strategy maintains a moratorium on small hydro developments and the amount of wind generation that can be integrated into the province’s current electricity system, the document notes, is limited to approximately 80 MW.

The province’s energy strategy contains fewer measures on energy efficiency than many other comparable provincial and territorial documents, but it does provide several government-led measures including a provincial fleet policy mandating that 25 per cent of all new car and SUV purchases between 2008 and 2011 will be energy efficient vehicles, and that all new provincial buildings and major renovations exceed the current Model National Energy Code by 25 per cent. Focusing Our Energy also calls for a reduction in emissions to 10 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020, and the province is currently in the process of drafting an updated climate change action plan.

Goals

  • Environmental Leadership
    • Emissions, Diversification
  • Energy Security
    • Self-Sufficiency
  • Sustainable Economic Development
    • Benefit
  • Maximizing Electricity Export Value
    • Benefit
  • Maximizing Long–Term Value of Oil and Gas
    • Benefit, Development
  • Effective Governance
    • Development

Major Energy Players


Timeline

2013
  • The earliest date for the scrubber and precipitator installation option at the thermal Holyrood facility
2015
  • The earliest date for the full commercial delivery of Lower Churchill power
  • Target the elimination of 1.3 million tonnes of GHG emissions per year by building Lower Churchill and the Labrador-Island Transmission link
2020
  • Reduce emissions to 10 per cent below 1990 levels
2041
  • The Upper Churchill contract expires