Canadian Provinces Unite to Promote Energy Investment at CERAWeek Conference in Texas

This week, three energy ministers from different Canadian provinces are in Texas to draw international attention and potential investors for their home industries.

At CERAWeek, a worldwide energy conference, the ministers may have the same objective in mind, but they are each putting a very different emphasis on the particular energy source that they are making the primary topic of discussion during their time there.

“We’re looking for investments, we’re looking for partners and we’re also here to show people that Quebec is open for business, that we want to see projects that are going to help us move the needle on climate change, but also help Quebecers make a little money,” said Quebec’s Associate Minister for Economy Christopher Skeete.

This is also the very first occasion on which Québec has been represented at the summit.

Although Quebec is recognized for its hydroelectric power, Skeete is in Houston to promote the province’s potential as a supplier of essential minerals.

“We’re rich in nickel, we’re rich in lithium,” he said. “The potential is huge. The opportunities are huge. And we have a responsibility to be here.”

More than 7,500 government officials, industry magnates, and others from over 80 countries, have travelled to Houston for the conference taking place this week.

“There’s a lot happening in the energy space,” stated Ontario energy minister, Todd Smith.

“Ontario is leading the way on small modular reactors, not just in North America but around the world. It’s been a great opportunity to share the technology that we have.”

Likewise, Alberta is heavily investing in both its oil and natural gas industry and its clean technology sector. The province is also contributing to the conference’s funding.

“The discussion ranges from oil and gas to transitional renewables, carbon capture, [and] hydrogen, so it varies,” said Alberta’s energy minister, Peter Guthrie.

The energy ministers from the three provinces have committed to cooperating so that Canada is seen as a trustworthy destination to do business overseas.

The United States’ introduction of the Inflation Reduction Act, which incorporates subsidies and other monetary support totalling tens of billions of dollars toward creating low-carbon energy sources, has garnered a lot of attention.

“If you put it all together, you’ll see that the Biden-Harris administration has made the United States the most attractive investment landscape for new energy and decarbonization technologies. In many cases, in fact, in a ton of cases, it makes the United States irresistible,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm.

Original source material for this article taken from here