The objective of this research was to better understand the potential for hydrogen production associated with Canada’s offshore oil and gas industry and the role that such production can play in supporting the net zero objectives of Newfoundland and Labrador and Canada.
It is well established that electric vehicles will reduce GHG emissions, however there have been recent concerns about the downstream environmental impacts – particularly with the disposal of batteries. Taking a circular economy approach to the waste management of batteries makes sense but, in general, economics for established methods of waste management are difficult to adopt in Newfoundland and Labrador due to economies of scale and geography. This discussion paper explores the challenges and the possibilities.
Building on discussions held at the Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) Workshop in September, this white paper explores technical, economic, and policy considerations related to advancing the technology and its application in the Newfoundland and Labrador context.
This white paper is a product of The Net Zero Project. The Net Zero Project was formed by Energy NL, econext, and OilCo in early 2022 with a primary objective to ensure the long-term sustainable future of the Newfoundland and Labrador’s offshore oil and gas industry by embracing and analyzing lower-emission pathways in line with broader provincial and national objectives of achieving net zero by 2050.
econext engaged with 42 community stakeholders across the province to understand their climate action priorities. The purpose of the research was to help econext understand the current level of climate action taking place in communities throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as the future initiatives and projects that were being prioritized.
In 2022 econext worked with Springboard Atlantic Inc. to determine opportunities to identify value from waste across four primary resources sectors within Atlantic Canada including fisheries, aquaculture, forestry, and agriculture.
The intent of the project was to identify waste management challenges faced by these sectors and the potential role of research and development (R&D) in addressing these challenges by extracting value from waste streams.
The scope of work included extensive stakeholder engagement through interviews with industry, the preparation of a summary report on value from waste opportunities, the evaluation of potential challenges including the development of an evaluation matrix and prioritization of challenges, the drafting of potential “challenge” statements to guide potential Springboard engagement in R&D on behalf of industry, vetting of challenge statements with industry and institutions, and finalization of challenge statements.
econext, in partnership with the Maritimes Energy Association (MEA) and with support from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), has released a report “Atlantic Canada’s Green Potential – Jobs and Skills Toward Clean Growth”. The report helps define what a ‘green job’ means in context of Atlantic Canada’s economy.
The Newfoundland and Labrador Environmental Industry Association (NEIA) played a supporting role in a study released today which estimates that developing the hydrogen production industry in the province could grow into an $11 billion per year industry by 2050.
The study was coordinated by the OERA (Offshore Energy Research Association) and conducted by Zen and the Art of Clean Energy Solutions with support from Dunsky Energy Consulting, Redrock Power Systems, NEIA, as well as from Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), which invested $100,000.
This work will help stakeholders gain an understanding of what deliberate interventions related to clean tech were made (by leading global jurisdictions) to foster innovation, attract investment, diversify the supply chain, and enhance long-term environmental performance within the industry. This is compared to the regulatory and innovation support ecosystem in Atlantic Canada, and a series of recommendations are made to drive and/or enable clean growth within the local industry.
This research compiled and thematically represented the R&D and innovation capacity of Canada’s offshore oil and gas industry as it relates to clean technology. This included an identification of areas of strength or emerging strength in the Atlantic region (e.g. by specific subject matter and/or collective capabilities) that could be leveraged to drive clean growth within the industry.
Understanding the related emerging requirements and expectations for supply chain participants will help ensure the competitiveness of firms in Atlantic Canada – or help local firms gain a competitive advantage. This is important from both the perspective of firms maintaining their market share in domestic oil and gas supply chains, and for firms engaging internationally.
