Saint John Energy propelling community to net zero

Saint John Energy is advancing a new era of green energy in New Brunswick with its newest offering: Renewable Energy Certificates.

Known as RECs, the internationally recognized certificates help energy buyers achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by certifying that they are buying electricity from a renewable source.

With the Burchill Wind Project, Saint John Energy will have enough green electricity to offer up to 150,000 RECs a year.

That will allow both Saint John Energy and the City of Saint John to certify all their corporate electricity supply as being from renewable energy while still leaving an abundant supply for others in the city looking for green electricity.

Earlier this year, the utility issued a public request for proposals seeking local organizations that would be interested in purchasing RECs to correspond with the electricity that Saint John Energy supplies to them.

As a result of that call for proposals, two companies expressed an interest and will now be the first to purchase RECs from Saint John Energy – Port Saint John and Irving Oil. This will allow both to have a certified renewable electricity supply from Saint John Energy once Burchill comes online.

Burchill, a 42-megawatt wind farm being built by Natural Forces in Lorneville, is set to be operational by the end of 2022, supplying enough renewable energy to power about 15 per cent of Saint John. That’s two and a half times the renewable energy target of six per cent the utility was challenged to provide under the City of Saint John’s Community Energy Plan by 2025.

Under its agreement with Natural Forces, Saint John Energy will receive all the energy produced from Burchill for at least 25 years as well as the RECs associated with the electricity the wind farm generates.

The utility expects this initial offering will attract further interest from local businesses looking to support both the environment and the development of renewable energy by purchasing RECs.

And it intends to explore later this year what interest there could be among homeowners in certifying their electricity as renewable.

More information on Saint John Energy’s RECs is available on the web at https://sj.energy/RECs

QUOTES:

“We’re delighted to be able to harness the Burchill wind farm to support Saint John’s transition toward net zero. Helping the community transition confidently to a clean energy future helps not only Saint John but the province as a whole. There is a tremendous demand for Renewable Energy Certificates, and we’re excited to be able to offer this option to those in our community who are looking for the assurance that they are powered by 100 per cent renewable electricity.”
– Saint John Energy President and CEO Ryan Mitchell

“We are proud to work with a hometown partner like Saint John Energy to power our Saint John operations with 100 per cent locally produced green energy. We understand the importance of clean, sustainable power and are pleased to be able to harness green energy for our operations in the city.” – Ian Whitcomb, President of Irving Oil

 “This is a proud moment for the City of Saint John, as we take the next big step to achieve our ambitious Climate Change Action Plan goals and remain a benchmark for municipalities across Canada. As the world evolves to a low carbon economy, sustainability through innovation is a must have for our organization and community. I would like to congratulate Saint John Energy, our City team, and community partners for their efforts in reaching this milestone.”
 – Mayor Donna Reardon, City of Saint John

“The renewable energy certificates are well aligned with the City of Saint John Climate Change Action Plan and go a long way to helping us reach our goal of being a carbon-neutral corporation by 2040, and a carbon-neutral community by 2050. The RECs allow us to transform our exiting energy supply that relies on fossil fuels for such things as transportation, transit and facilities, to low carbon, renewable energy sources. The project and any future projects will also ensure that almost all energy expenditures stay within the region.” - Samir Yammine, Energy Manager, Facilities and Asset Management City of Saint John 

“We are on a larger decarbonization journey, with an internal working group focused on reducing our greenhouse gas emissions. These RECs are an amazing first step for us but we are committed to further reducing our energy footprint in the near future when it comes to our facilities and fleets.” – Craig Bell Estabrooks, President and CEO at Port Saint John

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MEDIA CONTACTS:

Jessica DeLong, Manager of Stakeholder Relations, Saint John Energy jessica.delong@sjenergy.com 506.647.0365

Erin White, Communications Manager, City of Saint John erin.white@saintjohn.ca 506.639.1380

Katherine d’Entremont, Corporate Communications Specialist, Irving Oil katherine.dentremont@irvingoil.com 506.654.7162

Paula Copeland, Vice President, Engagement & Sustainability, Port Saint John pcopeland@sjport.com 506.650.5288

Saint John Energy is a progressive energy company providing trusted energy solutions to more than 36,000 residential and business customers in Saint John, New Brunswick. Locally

owned and operated since 1922, it is one of the highest-rated electrical utilities in Canada for reliability and customer satisfaction and holds the coveted Sustainable Electricity Company designation. Its commitment to innovation has earned it national and international acclaim, including an Award of Excellence from the International Smart Grid Action Network for innovation and a Clean50 Award for outstanding commitment to sustainability. For more information, visit www.sjenergy.com.

Irving Oil is a family-owned and privately held international energy company. For nearly 100 years, our commitment to doing good business has been grounded in our commitment to people – to our employees, customers, communities and partners. Founded in 1924, our mission is focused on our continued evolution to meet the changing needs of our customers. Specializing in the refining and marketing of finished energy products, we operate Canada’s largest refinery in Saint John, New Brunswick, and Ireland’s only refinery located in the village of Whitegate. We proudly serve customers with more than 1,000 fuelling locations and a network of distribution terminals spanning Eastern Canada, New England and in Ireland, operating under the Top brand. We are on a continuous journey of sustainable development, working to reduce our environmental footprint while continuing to provide safe and reliable energy to our customers. Named one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers for six consecutive years, we are proud of our team and our longstanding commitment to our customers and our communities. Learn more at irvingoil.com.

Port Saint John is Atlantic Canada’s largest port by tonnage and has a diverse cargo base, including dry and liquid bulk, break bulk, containers, and cruise.