MONTRÉAL, March 27, 2018 /CNW Telbec/ - Énergir would like to highlight the promising measures of the 2018‑2019 budget regarding regional economic development and assistance for Québec's energy transition. Earlier today, as part of his speech, Québec's Minister of Finance, Mr. Carlos Leitão, announced an envelope of $36.5 million to support various regions in new gas network extension projects, as well as significant additional amounts to accelerate the deployment of energy efficiency and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction measures. Furthermore, Énergir applauds the government's clear willingness to announce in the coming months its preferred option for supplying the Côte‑Nord and Northern Québec with liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Replacing petroleum products
The budget statement affirms that natural gas will play an increasingly important role in supporting the economic development and competitiveness of Québec companies. As such, the $36.5‑million envelope will help support the realization of new projects that aim to serve natural gas in various regions, particularly in Montérégie, Estrie and Chaudière‑Appalaches. Of this amount, $2.2 million will be allotted to a study that will be carried out to further determine the feasibility of a potential major extension of the gas network in the Saguenay–Lac‑Saint-Jean region. This envelope is in addition to the $20.5 million that was renewed in the 2017‑2018 budget to serve the Saint‑Ephrem, Saint‑Marc‑des‑Carrières and Thetford Mines regions. Furthermore, the budget recognizes LNG as the most appropriate energy source for responding to the desperate energy needs of Northern Québec and the Côte‑Nord.
"We commend the Québec government on the measures it announced today. The envelope dedicated to extend the natural gas distribution system was desired by many regions that will now be able to replace petroleum products by natural gas, which is far less emissive in terms of both GHGs and air pollutants. Access to natural gas will also make businesses in these regions more competitive. We are glad for Côte-Nord businesses and their communities. The government's willingness to quickly choose a solution that will supply LNG to the region's industries is great news from both an environmental and economic perspective," says Stéphanie Trudeau, Senior Vice President, Regulatory, Customers and Communities at Énergir.
Encouraging GHG reductions and energy efficiency
Énergir wishes to commend the many measures in the 2018-2019 budget that are designed to promote energy efficiency and reduce GHG emissions by industries, institutions and municipalities. "The addition of $20 million and $30 million to the respective budgets of the TechnoClimat and ÉcoPerformance programs is excellent news, as is the announcement of the creation of a fund, in partnership with Fondaction, to reduce the carbon footprint of businesses and, at the same time, generate savings for them," concluded Stéphanie Trudeau.
About Énergir
With more than $7 billion in assets, Énergir is a diversified Quebec-based energy company, whose mission is to meet the energy needs of its 520 000 customers and the communities it serves in an increasingly sustainable way. In Québec, Énergir is the leading natural gas distribution company and also produces, through its subsidiaries, electricity from wind power. In the United States, through its subsidiaries, the company operates in fifteen states where it produces electricity from hydraulic, wind and solar sources and distributes liquefied natural gas, in addition to being the leading electricity distributor and the sole natural gas distributor in Vermont. Énergir values energy efficiency and invests both resources and efforts in innovative energy projects such as renewable natural gas and liquefied and compressed natural gas. Through its subsidiaries, it also provides a variety of energy services. Énergir strives to become the partner of choice for those striving toward a better energy future.
SOURCE Énergir
View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/March2018/27/c7750.html
Maude Hébert-Chaput, Communication and public affair advisor, Énergir, 514 598-3449, Maude.hebert-chaput@energir.comCopyright CNW Group 2018
