Greening the government grid

The Government of Canada is making strides to meet an ambitious goal of powering its operations across the country with 100% renewable electricity by 2025.

Through the Greening Government Strategy, the federal government has committed to global leadership in net-zero operations. Currently, 80% of the power consumed by the Government of Canada comes from clean electricity sources, including nuclear, hydroelectric, wind and solar.

Reaching a target of 100% clean electricity use in federal facilities by 2025 requires a multifaceted effort. In collaboration with federal partners, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) launched the Clean Electricity Initiative for this purpose.

The initiative has seen dedicated PSPC teams collaborate with several provinces and the private sector to put in place contracts and agreements for the supply of power from new clean electricity sources. It will reduce the government's carbon footprint while fostering industry growth, innovation and opportunities for Indigenous communities to participate in federal contracts.

In 2023, PSPC's Western and National Capital regions received the Excellence in Greening Government Award from the Real Property Institute of Canada for their combined efforts to deliver clean electricity solutions in 2 prairie provinces. Meanwhile, in the Atlantic Region, a ground-breaking clean electricity program is underway in 1 province and on the agenda for another.

The complexity of this winning initiative proves that where there's a will, there's a way.

A regional approach to buying clean electricity

Some provinces rely more than others on electricity that comes from burning fossil fuels. As a result, the Clean Electricity Initiative has focused on creating more installations for clean and renewable power generation in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

The approach is tailored to the individual provinces. "We have several unique projects underway in the context of the initiative, since each province is different in terms of how it provides electricity," explains Taylor Graf, with PSPC's Green and Sustainable Government Directorate.

Part of the Clean Electricity Initiative involves purchasing certificates that are used by many organizations to offset electricity consumption and meet their sustainability goals. Each Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) represents 1 megawatt-hour of clean electricity generated on a customer's behalf by a renewable energy facility. RECs can be bought in 1 area of the country and applied to a facility elsewhere. "In our case, new power elements are being built in Alberta to clean the grid there, and we'll purchase the RECs from these elements and apply them to some of our buildings across Canada where local renewable energy solutions aren't an option," says Graf.

Meanwhile, the greening approach for Alberta and Saskatchewan under the initiative has required a diverse range of tactics. "In Alberta, we held a competitive procurement process and awarded contracts to deliver clean electricity, combined with RECs, to power our federal facilities there," says Bryn Wright, a key player in the Western Region rollout. "In Saskatchewan, we signed an agreement with the provincial utility for the green electricity coming from new infrastructure there."

In the Atlantic Region, where work is in progress, there's a different approach. PSPC signed an agreement with Nova Scotia to purchase renewable electricity for federal facilities through a competitive provincial process known as the Green Choice Program. "The Province appointed an independent administrator to run a procurement process for the federal government and other electricity customers," says Shalon McLachlan, manager of the regional clean electricity team. A Request for Proposals was issued in December 2023, with the contracts expected to be awarded by fall 2024. In New Brunswick, discussions are ongoing with the Province and provincial utilities.

Powering buildings, communities and industries

When all the infrastructure is built, supplying local grids and producing RECs, the Government of Canada will be able to reach the 100% carbon-free objective for its operations.

At the same time, the Clean Electricity Initiative supports one of Canada's other commitments: providing business opportunities for Indigenous communities.

"For the major contracts in the Western Region, bidders had to commit to a mandatory minimum level of Indigenous participation in the project," Wright says. In addition, under the Procurement Strategy for Indigenous Business, PSPC awarded a $4-million contract to a joint venture between Indigenous company South Head Energy and Switch Power for new Alberta infrastructure. Provincial partners in Atlantic Canada, including Nova Scotia, are adding criteria in bidding processes to award extra points to ventures that can show some level of Indigenous ownership.

The initiative has other benefits. "We've shown what can be done, and our work is stimulating job creation and expertise in clean energy, while utility companies and other levels of government are following our lead and introducing their own clean electricity programs," Wright points out.

PSPC is proud to act as the procurement and technical specialist for the Clean Electricity Initiative. According to Wright, it's a special project for everyone involved. "The impact of what we're doing is measurable and making a difference. The Government of Canada committed to clean power for its buildings by 2025, and our activities directly address that priority."

Learn more about the clean electricity initiative, or visit Our stories for other articles about PSPC.