Category: Member News

CEO Message – January 5, 2024

Posted on by kieran

On behalf of econext, I would like to wish our members and partners a Happy New Year.

Our team is already off to the races on what is sure to be a big year for the green economy in Newfoundland and Labrador. I’d like to highlight a few of the things that we will be up to in Q1 of this year.

On the policy front we will busy putting our best foot forward in providing ideas for the provincial government’s development of new climate change action plans, and responding to the federal government’s planned emissions cap for the oil and gas industry (which, among other things, we believe has the potential to create new carbon offsets opportunities for our province). We are also in the beginning stages of exploring innovative approaches to regulatory frameworks to help enable efficient processes that are also highly effective in protecting the environment.

We have two ideathons in the works for the Winter across the province, and will be helping SMEs to understand why they should be thinking about ESG and how they can get started developing strategies through a new course that we have developed. We have two exciting webinars within the next two weeks – one on the 11th about Newfoundland and Labrador’s clean technology tax credit, and another on the 16th highlighting clean technologies coming from Iceland.

We are on the heels of facilitating a series of technology demonstrations of our members’ capabilities at The Launch, and will as a result have some exciting footage to share with the world about the cleantech expertise that Newfoundland and Labrador has as it relates to the ocean. Related to all of that, we are helping students explore careers in the green and blue economies and facilitating internships and co-op placements… contact us if you’re interested in hosting!

Meanwhile we are doing some exciting work related to skills and training for the clean energy industry, and finishing our work developing net zero pathways for our offshore oil and gas industry.

This is just the tip of iceberg of what we expect will be a banner year for econext; we have an incredible team in place which I know is going to have a very tangible impact on accelerating clean growth in Newfoundland and Labrador in 2024.

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These folks are going to be busy and through 2023 we planted many seeds that we expect to sprout in the months ahead. Stay tuned.

Indeed, Newfoundland and Labrador’s clean growth future really began to take shape in 2023. Even since my last note in July, there has been a long list of developments that will help shape activity in the province 2024 and long after. From the release of critical minerals plans provincially and programming nationally, to the advancement of wind-to-hydrogen projects through the province’s crown lands process and the introduction federally of draft legislation for clean hydrogen tax credits, to the launch of a new provincial CCUS Innovation Challenge, to new bilateral energy agreements with other provinces and the federal government… Newfoundland and Labrador is not just well positioned to be a green leader – the train has left the station.

And this is just a sample of some of the developments this past Fall. The speed at which these things is happening can be difficult to keep track of – not to mention to understand how they may create opportunities for your business! econext is here to help. Are you a member and would like to meet with our team to help you explore or identify opportunities? Please get in touch. Whether you want to explore international markets, identify better uses for your waste streams, understand how you should be adapting to climate change, or see how you can become more productive and innovative – we’ve got someone on the team here who can help.

Lastly, but no less important, this year econext is committed to doing a better job of highlighting the successes of our members – either from a business or environmental perspective. So when you’ve accomplished something that you want to share, please send along your good news to us and we will do our part.

Wishing you a successful 2024,

// Kieran Hanley
CEO

econext releases ocean cleantech webinar series to help SMEs identify international innovation partners in Germany, Ireland, and the UK

Posted on by kieran

Through 2023 econext has released a series of webinars available via its Online & On-Demand platform focused on ocean-based clean technologies.

In the series, three markets with strengths related to clean ocean technologies are explored – Germany, Ireland, and the UK – with a focus on existing clusters and networks, key organizations, and research groups that are leading innovation in the blue/green economies.

Content is available for free in multiple formats; users can choose whether they wish to learn vie video, audio, and/or text.

SMEs in Atlantic Canada wishing to learn more about potential partners identified are encouraged to contact econext staff who can work on your behalf to facilitate an introduction.

Click Here to Access

econext seeking member feedback for new provincial Climate Action Plans

Posted on by kieran

The Department of Environment and Climate Change is seeking input on the development for its new Climate Change Action Plans. Details can be found at the following link:
https://www.gov.nl.ca/releases/2023/ecc/1101n03/

econext will provide detailed input from its membership. If you have ideas on how Newfoundland and Labrador can tackle Climate Adaption and/or Climate Change Mitigation that you would like to share with us, please feel free to send your comments directly to Sara Jafari, (sara@econext.ca).

Deadlines
The deadline to have your feedback into econext is December 7, 2023. Additionally, we encourage you to also fill out the provincial government questionnaire. The deadline to provide direct provincial deadline is December 13, 2023.

Call for Expressions of Interest – 2023 econext Conference Rapid-Fire Presentations

Posted on by kieran


econext is calling for expressions from SMEs with an innovative idea, product, service, or technology that they would like to present to the attendees of econext’s 2023 Conference, to take place on Thursday October 26, 2023 at the Delta Hotel and Conference Centre in St. John’s, NL.

The ‘rapid-fire’ presentations at the conference are intended to be concise and 5 minutes in length. Presentations must demonstrate either

  • How the innovative idea, product, service or technology can have an impact in areas of clean growth in Newfoundland and Labrador; or
  • How the idea, product, service or technology relates to any of the 2023 Conference themes which include:
    • Clean Energy – What’s Next
    • Leading Green Economy Innovation
    • Continuing Environment Challenges
    • Achieving Net-Zero by 2050

INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMISSIONS

Please include with your submission:

  • Title and type of presentation proposed
  • 250-word (approx.) summary of presentation proposed
  • Presenter’s name, affiliation, and brief biographical statement

Please submit by email to Colin Heffernan, Manager of Industry and Community Engagement with econext, at heffernan@econext.ca.

DEADLINE

The deadline for submitting an expression of interest is Wednesday October 4, 2023 @ 5:00 PM. Submissions will be reviewed on the basis of relevance to the conference themes and the significance of the content to the 2023 Conference audience. Submissions may be considered for presentation at future econext events.

econext seeking Expressions of Interest from businesses in NL with innovative clean technologies in development

Posted on by kieran

econext may have an opportunity to work with local SMEs to support them in the development of their clean technologies.

Key criteria would include:

  • The solution must have the potential for new intellectual property to be developed
  • The solution must have the potential for clear environmental benefits when applied
  • The business must have raised private equity of at least $100,000 within the last 12 months (e.g., not government funding)
  • The solution must be innovative

If you feel that your business meets the above criteria, please contact econext‘s Manager of Industry and Community Engagement Colin Heffernan at heffernan@econext.ca.

Deadline: September 27, 2023

Tides of Opportunity: A Learning and Networking Event Series

Posted on by Alex Rumbolt

Are you a job seeker or looking to learn more about careers in ocean clean technology?

Join us at Marine Institute’s The Launch in the Town of Holyrood to learn about companies right here in Newfoundland and Labrador that provide exciting technologies and services related to the ocean and the environment.

Tides of Opportunity allows individuals interested in or curious about oceans careers to navigate their future in the clean ocean industry through real-time demonstrations. Participants will have the opportunity to see world-leading technologies operating up close, learn about the SMEs, their technologies, and the potential career opportunities associated with them, and meet with potential future employers and colleagues.

Demonstrations will be taking place throughout the Fall – so stay tuned to this website for more information. A shuttle bus (leaving from St. John’s) will be provided for those requiring transportation to and from Holyrood. Details will be provided upon registration. Food and refreshments will also be provided, including snacks and a lunch.

Upcoming Demonstrations:

October 24 – Fugro, Kraken, and Ocean Startup Project

           

This event will take place 10:00 am – 3:45 pm. Doors open at The Launch at 9:30 a.m. Light snacks and lunch will be provided. Shuttle bus (leaving from St. John’s) to and from the event will be available. The bus will be leaving the MUN Core Science Facility at 8:30 a.m. and stopping at the Marine Institute at 8:45 a.m. It will then depart from the Launch in Holyrood at 3:45 p.m. returning to Marine Institute around 4:30 p.m. and MUN at 4:45 p.m. More information on transportation is available upon registration.

Click Here to Register

Past Demonstrations:

September 20 – eDNAtec & GRI Simulations – Complete

         
This event will take place 10:00am – 3:45pm. Doors open at The Launch at 9:30am. Light snacks and lunch provided. Shuttle bus (leaving from St. John’s) to and from the event will be available. The bus will be leaving MUN Core Science Facility at 8:30am and stopping at Marine Institute at 8:45am. It will then depart from the Launch in Holyrood at 3:45pm returning to Marine Institute around 4:30pm and MUN at 4:45pm.

Click Here to Register

 

September 26 – C-CORE & enaimco

         

This event will take place 10:00am – 3:45pm. Doors open at The Launch at 9:30am. Light snacks and lunch provided. Shuttle bus (leaving from St. John’s) to and from the event will be available. The bus will be leaving MUN Core Science Facility at 8:30am and stopping at Marine Institute at 8:45am. It will then depart from the Launch in Holyrood at 3:45pm returning to Marine Institute around 4:30pm and MUN at 4:45pm. More information on transportation available upon registration.

Click Here to Register

October 12 – Edgewise Environmental and Copsys

     

This event will take place 10:00am – 3:45pm. Doors open at The Launch at 9:30am. Light snacks and lunch provided. Shuttle bus (leaving from St. John’s) to and from the event will be available. The bus will be leaving MUN Core Science Facility at 8:30am and stopping at Marine Institute at 8:45am. It will then depart from the Launch in Holyrood at 3:45pm returning to Marine Institute around 4:30pm and MUN at 4:45pm. More information on transportation available upon registration.

Click Here to Register

 

October 17 – Whitecap

This event will take place 1:00pm – 3:45pm. Doors open at 12:30pm. Lunch provided. Shuttle bus (leaving from St. John’s) to and from the event will be available. The bus will be leaving MUN Core Science Facility at 11:30am and stopping at Marine Institute at 11:45am. It will then depart from the Launch in Holyrood at 3:45pm returning to Marine Institute around 4:30pm and MUN at 4:45pm. More information on transportation available upon registration.

Click Here to Register

 

October 19 – Scanmudring and The Town of Holyrood

       

This event will take place from 10:00 am – 4:45 pm. Doors open at The Launch at 9:30 a.m. Light snacks and lunch will be provided. Shuttle bus (leaving from St. John’s) to and from the event will be available. The bus will be leaving the MUN Core Science Facility at 8:30 a.m. and stopping at the Marine Institute at 8:45 a.m. At 2:15 pm, it’ll depart the Launch to the Town of Holyrood building in Holyrood for a presentation and tour. It will then depart at 4:45 pm returning to the Marine Institute around 5:30 pm and MUN at 5:45 pm. More information on transportation is available upon registration.

Click Here to Register

 

Don’t miss out on this incredible event series! Mark your calendars and come prepared to ride the tides of opportunity. We look forward to welcoming you!

This project has been made possible by funding from the Government of Canada through the Community Workforce Development Program, a partnership between econext and the Marine Institute, The Launch, and the Town of Holyrood. Planning support for the project has been provided by Angler Solutions.

Registration now open for econext 2023 Annual Conference

Posted on by kieran

econext‘s Annual Conference is Newfoundland and Labrador’s premier green economy event, attracting leaders in business, government, academia, and the community.

Join us on October 26, 2023 in St. John’s, NL to hear about the latest developments in the province from decision makers and thought leaders relating to clean energy, green innovation, ongoing environmental challenges, and the pursuit of net zero.

Click for More Info

CEO Message – July 11, 2023

Posted on by kieran

As we enter into the thick of Summer, it is worthwhile reflecting on the enormous activity that we have seen in Newfoundland and Labrador’s clean energy industry over the past month and a half.

There is a competitive process underway to access crown land for the purpose of wind energy development, and some of the interested players have recently made some big moves.

On June 1st, World Energy GH2 announced that it had successfully closed the acquisition of the Port of Stephenville. Managing Director and CEO Sean Leet said that “the Port of Stephenville is the cornerstone of our project and will position the Bay St. George area as a green energy hub.” This announcement was just days after the company announced a large investment from SK ecoplant into their Project Nujio’qonik which aims to produce green hydrogen in 2025.

On June 5th, the Port of Argentia, Pattern Energy, & Argentia Capital announced that they have reached an agreement on a planned renewable energy to green fuels project at the port. The port’s CEO Scott Penney said that “Pattern Energy is taking a Lease Option on some 6,000 acres of industrial and forest lands owned by the Port. Should it exercise its Option and proceed with the Project, it will construct a 300-megawatt wind energy facility designed to power the production of Green Ammonia for export to global markets.”

These are just two of the bids received by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador from 19 companies on March 23. Exciting weeks and months are ahead for the clean energy industry as we learn which projects will have the opportunity to advance. And the world is watching. Proof of global interest on what is happening here in this province was evident again with a recent agreement signed between the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands to cooperate on green hydrogen opportunities.

Update: The first phase of the competition was announced as complete shortly after this piece was published, with the process now expected to be finished by August.

While much of the focus has been on land, not to be forgotten is the wealth of wind resources available for development in Newfoundland and Labrador’s offshore. Amendments were moved forward in Canada’s House of Commons to put important enabling conditions in place to allow for investment into offshore wind in the province.

And flying under the radar were important changes introduced to the province’s Electricity Power Control Act (EPCA) which will allow for utilities and the regulator to consider the environment as a factor in their decision-making. This will mean that decisions are not made solely based on cost and reliability – important because the most environmentally sound solutions are not always the cheapest ones. Our grid is inching close to being 100% clean, and we need to protect and capitalize on this great advantage.

Oh yes, and the Department of Industry, Energy, and Technology announced the launch of its $100 million Green Transition Fund. Learn about it in our webinar next week.

This list barely scratches the surface of the activity underway, and this is only within the past couple of months! econext has been busy working on workforce development, R&D and innovation, and economic development initiatives related to clean energy in the province, and we’ll have a lot more to say about that in the coming months.

… and clean energy is just one of our key priority areas. Luckily our team is growing to meet the demands and help NL seize its green economy opportunities, and if you follow us on LinkedIn you’ll get to know them all in the days ahead.

Suffice it to say that there’s lots to chat about, and we hope you’ll join us at our Summer Social next week to do just that!

Sincerely,

// Kieran Hanley
CEO

econext welcomes NL Green Transition Fund announcement

Posted on by kieran

On June 21, 2023 the Department of Industry, Energy, and Technology announced the launch of the Green Transition Fund. Program information and guidelines can be found here.

Text from econext CEO Kieran Hanley’s remarks at the launch event:

Thank you for the opportunity to be here today to speak to this wonderful announcement.

econext is an organization that works day in and day out to drive and support clean growth in Newfoundland and Labrador.

That means helping our key industries become more competitive in a world that is increasingly concerned about greenhouse gas emissions and environmental impacts.

That means doing what we can to support new industries that help not just Newfoundland and Labrador, but the world fight climate change.

And that means working with communities to understand their role in all of this, and to maximize adjacent economic development opportunities.

In this work, econext finds itself in the middle between industry, governments, communities, and research institutions sharing ideas, experiences, challenges, and opportunities.

And through this work, we can see now that this province is on the verge of big things. Why? Simply put, we have what the world needs.

From our green electricity grid, to our world class undeveloped renewable energy resources, to our emerging clean fuels and energy storage hubs, to our rich cache of critical minerals… Newfoundland and Labrador has a clean energy advantage that positions us extraordinarily well internationally.

Let’s be clear. We have the resources here to fuel the world’s energy transition.

Newfoundland and Labrador has the ability to make a globally significant contribution in the fight against climate change. It is time to be bold and to seize these opportunities.

To succeed, we need more investment into research, development, and innovative green economic activity.

The Green Transition Fund announced today is a big step forward in that regard and will help ensure that Newfoundland and Labrador reaches its economic growth potential while advancing its pursuit of net zero.

Congratulations to Minister Parsons and to the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador on this announcement.

To econext members: this is a funding program that you have been asking for for a long long time. It’s going to be competitive. Get busy developing your project ideas. Make them innovative, and make them collaborative.

Let’s get to work.

From L to R: Kieran Hanley – CEO, econext; Dr. Michael Long – Dean of Applied Research and Innovation, CNA; Charlene Johnson – CEO, Energy NL; Hon. Andrew Parsons; Bruce Billard – Manager, Green Transition, IET; Kirk Youden – Director, Sector Diversification, IET.

econext looking for local building owners/managers to help pilot new energy management technology

Posted on by kieran

With the acquisition of the Zen Ecosystems assets, Mysa Smart Thermostats expanded its business and commercial focused offering. In order to further develop this business line, econext is helping Mysa find local businesses to partner with and deliver significant energy savings.

The Opportunity

  • Receive Zen Smart Thermostats + Zen HQ Energy management platform at a 50% discount. More info about Zen HQ can be found on the Zen HQ website or this video.
  • Receive support from the Mysa team on installation, setup, and management to deliver energy savings for your business. Existing Zen HQ customers are seeing over 20% savings on their energy bills.

Eligibility Criteria

  • Business must be located within the St. John’s Metropolitan area
  • Business must have more than 10 low voltage (24v) thermostats across their operations, in one location or multiple locations combined
  • Zen smart thermostats are compatible with most 24V HVAC systems but you can verify compatibility by reaching out to hq-support@getmysa.com
  • Business must have Wifi available so the thermostats can get connected to the internet and to the Zen HQ platform

Are you Interested?

Contact Daan Goossens, VP Growth at Mysa, at daan@getmysa.com.