Minister Wilkinson Marks Progress in Supplying Germany With Clean, Reliable Energy
BERLIN, March 30, 2023 /CNW/ - The world is moving toward a global, net-zero economy in order to address the existential threat of climate change. This transition is generating a significant increase in demand for clean energy and technologies, and the raw materials that enable them.
Concurrent geopolitical dynamics, including Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine, demonstrate the need for like-minded countries to have stable and secure supplies of these technologies and resources — produced in a way that is compatible with climate and nature goals and in meaningful consultation and partnership with Indigenous Peoples.
This need presents a generational economic opportunity for Canada — and the Government of Canada is working to seize this opportunity to make Canada a clean energy and technology supplier of choice in a net-zero world. To that end, this week the Government of Canada announced historic investments through Budget 2023 in clean energy, including incentives and tax measures to support clean electricity, clean hydrogen and critical minerals.
The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources, brought this message to the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue (BETD) this week in Berlin, Germany. Minister Wilkinson was joined by a Canadian trade mission featuring more than 15 Canadian companies, organizations, Indigenous communities and representatives seeking to pursue commercial opportunities in clean energy.
During the three-day mission, Minister Wilkinson pursued three objectives in pursuit of this generational economic opportunity for Canada. They were:
Getting Canadian clean energy to Europe. To this end, the Minister:
i. working toward global standards for carbon intensity certification and social ecological sustainability, recognizing existing legislation and regulations as well as progress under multilateral fora;
ii. exploring port-to-port collaboration;
iii. identifying Canadian and German measures to accelerate investments in hydrogen projects including to manage project risk; and
iv. establishing platforms to raise and address issues related to hydrogen development, trade and industrial transition.
i. accelerate production and export of clean hydrogen; and
ii. develop global carbon intensity and sustainability standards to facilitate trade in clean hydrogen between Canada and all its international partners.
2. Accelerating energy transition policies and bolstering energy security in Europe. To this end, the Minister:
3. Strengthening business-to-business ties between Canada and Germany in the area of energy and resources. To this end, the Minister:
Minister Wilkinson's efforts in Berlin build on recent productive visits from key European leaders to Canada, including:
German Chancellor Scholz's visit to Quebec, Ontario, and Newfoundland and Labrador in August 2022; and
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's visit to Ontario in March 2023.
Canada and Germany are like-minded global partners with a shared commitment to bolstering multilateralism and the rules-based international order. This week's mission to Berlin was part of a series of significant steps the Government of Canada continues to take to create good jobs across Canada while supporting its international allies and fighting climate change. Canada and Germany enjoy a close and friendly partnership, reflected in our active cooperation on the international stage as well as a strong economic and investment relationship.
Next month, Minister Wilkinson will travel with the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, to Sapporo, Japan, for the G7 Ministers' Meeting on Climate, Energy and Environment. There, Minister Wilkinson will continue to work with all partners to establish Canada as the global supplier of choice for clean energy in a net-zero world — ensuring a prosperous and clean future for Canadians from coast to coast to coast.
Quotes
"Canada and Germany are allies in the support of Ukraine, in NATO and in energy and climate. This week, we made tangible progress on building secure and clean energy systems between our two countries, and I look forward to continuing to work with our German friends in this space."
The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson
Minister of Natural Resources
"We are eager to accelerate our Hydrogen Alliance initiatives with a joint action plan focused on key areas of interest. With Canada as a reliable partner, we are working toward receiving the first shipments of green hydrogen derivatives in just a few years."
Robert Habeck
Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action
Quick Facts
Concrete progress is also being made within the private sector to deliver critical minerals and the clean technologies they enable to Europe:
Concrete progress is being made within the private sector to deliver clean hydrogen to Europe:
In November 2022, Minister Wilkinson announced up to $800 million in project funding to advance Canada's clean fuels sector.
In December 2022, the Government of Canada unveiled its $3.8 billion Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy to increase the supply of responsibly sourced resources and support the development of domestic and global value chains for the green and digital economy. Over $344 million of this funding is supporting the following five new programs and initiatives:
Germany and Canada are founding members of the Sustainable Critical Minerals Alliance
The EU is the world's largest trading bloc. In 2022, Canada and the EU celebrated the fifth anniversary of the provisional application of the Canada-EU Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) and the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), which is creating opportunities for businesses and good, middle-class jobs for workers on both sides of the Atlantic. In 2021, Canada-EU bilateral merchandise trade was $100 billion (67.5 billion euros), an increase of more than 33 percent since CETA's provisional application in 2017.
The Canada-EU Strategic Partnership on Raw Materials, signed in 2021, focuses on enhancing security and sustainability of trade and investment; the integration of raw material supply chains, science, technology and innovation collaboration; and environmental, social and governance criteria and standards.
The Canada-EU relationship is the oldest formal relationship the EU has with any industrialized country, dating back to 1959.
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SOURCE Natural Resources Canada
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