Planning for a cleaner energy future for Saint John
Rockwood Park, the lungs of Saint John.
Excitement building at Saint John Energy for ambitious Zero30 effort
By Michelle Siscoe, April 17, 2024
At Saint John Energy, there is a great deal of excitement around our Zero30 project.
It is coming up on a year since we first announced our ambitions to build a road map to reaching net-zero emissions by 2030 – both in our own operations and helping customers get there too if they choose.
It has been a very busy year too, as we’ve built our team, reached out across the country and around the world for partners, and rolled up our sleeves to get this critical work underway.
If you have been following what we’re up to, you’ll know that we’ve already rolled out our first products and services for Saint John Energy customers – our Electric Vehicle Charger Package and our E-Bike Financing Program.
Of course, there’s much more to come. In the coming weeks and months, you will hear more from us on our progress.
Vision to be a national leader
We officially launched Zero30 last May as part of our vision to be a national utility leader in the transition to net zero.
Net zero – achieving an equal amount of greenhouse gases removed for those emitted – is critical to reducing the impact of climate change.
To our knowledge, no other Canadian electricity company is attempting to reach net zero by 2030.
The Zero30 initiative is examining how we can reach net zero across three fronts:
achieving an even cleaner energy supply,
planning for a future with a significantly greater demand for electricity,
and innovating with our customers.
Over the last 11 months, we’ve laid a strong foundation that we’ll need to meet with success. We’ve sought out partners who are leading experts in the fields of renewable energy, climate mitigation, innovation and more.
Prepare for the future
This includes the Sustainability Solutions Group, or SSG. For more than 20 years, the Canadian co-operative has worked with governments, institutions and other organizations to address their climate planning challenges. It strives to build decarbonized, equitable and healthy communities.
We engaged SSG to forecast electricity use in Saint John through to 2045. This will help us understand what we will need to do to prepare our grid for the future.
Based on their modelling, the people at SSG have mapped out scenarios for us so that we can see anticipated changes in demand over time and zero in on particular locations and neighbourhoods.
Crucial forecasts
Their work also forecasts variables like EV adoption throughout the city, given how charging electric vehicles will change not only how much energy our customers will need but when they will need it. Those forecasts can also help us plan where public EV chargers will be needed.
SSG forecasts will help us understand the greenhouse gas emissions associated with our energy use today and into the future.
This kind of modelling is critical to planning for a future where we know people will rely more heavily on electricity as a clean energy source.
But it is also crucial because the SSG forecasts will also help us understand the greenhouse gas emissions associated with that energy use today and into the future so that we can properly plan for how to net those to zero.
We’ve accomplished so much more with Zero30 so far and we look forward to sharing more developments and news with you about our journey.
Join us on the journey
I invite you to visit the Zero30 website for more information and to follow Zero30 on X, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook for news and updates.
This isn’t just a plan for Saint John Energy, but for Saint John and the people that live here.
We’ll also be out in the community throughout this work, holding open houses and discussions with various people and organizations – because this isn’t just a plan for Saint John Energy, but for Saint John and the people that live here.
We were at the Saint John Home Show last month, sharing with customers and others what Saint John Energy offers and what Zero30 is all about.
In talking to those people, it came as no surprise that a number of the questions were around renewable energy. For instance, were we planning to incorporate more wind energy beyond the Burchill wind farm? What about solar energy options? What could those look like?
All good questions. And certainly an important part of our Zero30 work. One of the reasons we undertook Zero30 is to help us understand what are the best options for us in exploring a cleaner energy supply.
Exciting and important
Zero30 will help illuminate the right mix of options to reach that cleaner supply while partnering with NB Power. At the end of the day, though, those options will have a sound business case. Saint John Energy has long had lower rates for its customers and that remains an important priority for us.
What’s exciting and important in this work is that what we will have created is something dynamic. While we will be producing reports and sharing information, that’s not the end goal. Instead, Zero30 will be a solution that allows us to introduce new variables, test out scenarios, and find new or different solutions.
I joined Saint John Energy about a year ago, enticed by its innovative culture and reputation, the ambition of the Zero30 project and the opportunity to be a part of something that was leading the country.
To our knowledge, no other Canadian electricity company is attempting to reach net zero by 2030. I’m proud to be working with colleagues across the company and with partners throughout Canada and around the world to get us there.
Michelle Siscoe is Director of the Zero30 project for Saint John Energy.