Good afternoon.
Thank you, Mr. Chair and committee members, and Mr. Roger, the clerk of the committee, for inviting WaterPower Canada to appear as a witness for this study on zero-emission vehicles.
I also want to thank you for your dedication and perseverance in supporting the well-being of your constituents during this pandemic.
WaterPower Canada is the national trade association that represents the producers of hydroelectricity and their suppliers of goods and services.
Despite the tremendous challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic has presented, the water power sector has overseen the reliable operation of the more than five hundred generation stations across Canada. We are proud to be supporting Canada’s pandemic response by powering our hospitals, communication networks and supply chains.
Canada is a global water power leader. Our sector has powered our economy for more than one hundred years. Water power is central to our energy security, producing 60% of our total electricity. That makes our grid one of the cleanest in the world.
Today, our sector also represents 90% of Canada’s total renewable electricity supply and almost 60% of Canada’s gross domestic product from renewable and alternative energy supply. Canada is in the top 10 countries worldwide for the number of water power jobs. More than half of all the renewable energy jobs in Canada are in the water power sector.
With regard to this study, the previous witnesses both today and in previous weeks raised many topics that our sector supports. Firstly, Canada is one of the few countries in the world uniquely positioned to move toward and beyond a 90% non-emitting electricity supply. Leveraging this clean electricity advantage to power zero-emissions vehicles will bring significant environmental, economic, public health and consumer benefits.
Secondly, the federal government has an integral role to play in supporting the development of the national ZEV market and supply chain, including with a suite of available policy options that will provide the best outcomes when introduced in complementarity.
Thirdly, we are already building momentum. The electricity sector is making investments in anticipation of demand due to electrification. Automakers are building ZEVs and components in Canada. The opportunities go far beyond cars and chargers to metals and minerals. Charging technology companies are growing, creating intellectual property and building a new industry in Canada.
This demand growth from the electrification of transportation, combined with stringent and stable long-term climate policy, is critical for my sector to maximize our investments in the coming years. These potential investments represent tens of billions of dollars, tens of thousands of new jobs and the avoidance of hundreds of millions of tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually.
Investments made by our sector in the refurbishment and redevelopment of our existing water power generation fleet provides additional electricity generation and storage capacity at a very low unit cost and with a minimal incremental environmental footprint.
Investments to improve flexibility in these units and sites, and in new transmission infrastructure, pumped-storage hydro and green hydrogen projects, can further facilitate the reliable integration of variable renewable energy resources, such as wind and solar. This will be especially important in regions where coal is being phased out. Water stored in our reservoirs can be the battery that balances supply and demand.
Greenhouse gas emissions need to decline rapidly in order for us to exceed our 2030 Paris Agreement goals and achieve net zero by 2050. Building on our strengths, leveraging existing competitive advantages and creating the right conditions for investment will support these objectives.
Canada’s clean electricity advantage and the electrification of zero-emissions vehicles can, and must, be a central component of our climate action and economic recovery.
Thank you again for the opportunity to appear. I look forward to addressing any questions that the committee may have.
Thank you for your attention.