Clean Energy Resources
Few jurisdictions in the world can match Newfoundland and Labrador's clean energy warehouse.
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Clean Energy Resources
Few jurisdictions in the world can match Newfoundland and Labrador's clean energy warehouse. On average, close to 90% of the electricity in Newfoundland and Labrador comes from clean energy. Projects like the 5,428 megawatt (MW) Churchill Falls Generating Station provide significant clean energy to Newfoundland and Labrador and other locations in North America. Other smaller hydro and wind projects also provide power to the province.
The Provincial Government is committed to developing these clean energy resources for domestic use and export by: intensively marketing cost-competitive electricity generated by wind and hydro to North American markets; encouraging investment and innovation in electrical power generation projects; and, seeking opportunities to develop the Gull Island portion of the Lower Churchill.
Lower Churchill Hydroelectric Project
The Lower Churchill Hydroelectric Project comprises the 824MW Muskrat Falls development and associated transmission links (Phase One) and the 2,250MW Gull Island development (Phase Two).
The Muskrat Falls generation facility and the transmission link from Labrador to the island of Newfoundland has been identified by Nalcor as the least-cost, long-term option for meeting the province's growing electricity demand. Nalcor will use production from the Muskrat Falls generating facility to displace oil-fired generation from the Holyrood Thermal Generating Station, displacing an estimated 1.2 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually.
The project was sanctioned by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador in 2012 and construction has commenced. Once completed, Newfoundland and Labrador's electricity system will be 98% renewable and emissions free. The development of this resource is offering substantial employment, income and taxation benefits to the province. This important regional project will also help Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and other locations in North America grow their economies while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Wind Energy
Newfoundland and Labrador currently has three wind energy farms, two of which are connected to the electricity grid on the island portion of the province in St. Lawrence and Fermeuse. The two projects connected to the electricity grid have a total generating capacity of 54 MW, which reduces the province's greenhouse gas emissions by about 140,000 tonnes annually by displacing oil-fired electricity at the Holyrood Thermal Generating Station.
Since 2004, Ramea, which is one of 22 isolated communities in Newfoundland and Labrador that relies on diesel to generate electricity, has been using wind energy to supplement its diesel generation. In its efforts to reduce reliance on fossil fuels in Ramea, Nalcor has built one of the first projects in the world to integrate generation from wind, hydrogen and diesel in an isolated system.