Building a green economy

Economic activities have an impact on the environment and can contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. Indeed, all operations to produce and distribute products and services have a carbon dioxide footprint, i.e., they have an impact on climate. They are also vulnerable to climate change impacts.

To ensure a successful climate transition, several new economic sectors must occupy a bigger place in the economy. Industries also need to convert to clean energy sources, such as hydropower, as much as possible.

Consequently, the economy must be transformed to make it greener, more sustainable, low-carbon, and more resilient. An economy based on innovation and the development of clean technologies is a preferred option. The economy must also become as circular as possible to limit the exploitation of untapped resources.

In order for the transformation to succeed, companies need to change the ways they produce goods and services and consume energy. Programs such as Bioénergies, Écoperformance, Valorisation des rejets thermiques and Défi GES – Industrie, offer funding for clean technology acquisition, process improvement and achieving their energy transition. Businesses can also make use of a program that supports innovative energy and GHG emission reduction projects to assist them in developing promising technologies.

The Renewable Natural Gas Production Support Program (PSPGNR) also offers financial assistance to promote renewable natural gas (RNG) production projects and its injection into the natural gas distribution network.

Québec is also supporting the development of new economic sectors such as those related to transportation electrification and batteries, and the green hydrogen and bioenergy sectors, energy efficiency, waste heat recovery, or clean technologies, to reduce dependency on and the consumption of fossil energy.

Lastly, to ensure that the climate transition is achieved, it is essential to support and train workers to enable them to respond to new market needs.

Several innovative businesses are carrying out projects in Québec funded by the government to fight against climate change. They are fostering the rapid development of a clean or circular economy. Here are some examples:

Manufacturing greener metal alloys

Elkem Metal Canada specializes in the manufacture of ferroalloys intended for the foundry and steelworks markets. It is manufacturing biochar briquettes to replace the mineral coal now used in electric arc reduction furnaces. The company is ultimately targeting annual output of more than 35,000 tonnes of biochar briquettes for Québec, which will achieve an annual reduction of roughly 100,000 tonnes of GHG.

Producing fuel from residual forest biomass

Bioénergie La Tuque is seeking to demonstrate the potential for renewable fuel production using residual forest biomass, i.e., surplus products resulting from timber harvesting or wood processing. The residues recovered will be used to produce biofuel that can replace fossil fuels. The project will explore the potential use of biofuel in forest machinery. Bioénergie La Tuque is working with the Atikamekw Nation and Neste, a Finnish company that is a world leader in the realm of biofuels.

Recovering and repairing residual materials for reuse

The Réemploi + project of the Régie des matières résiduelles du Lac-Saint-Jean seeks to reduce regional GHG emissions by diverting from burial up to 5 000 tonnes of residual materials to recover and reuse them. In addition to prolonging the useful life of the materials recovered, the project is offering employment to the region’s residents, who are receiving specialized training to reuse the materials recovered. The project is also allowing for the opening of three reuse hardware stores to sell the recycled items, thereby promoting the development of a circular, local, ecoresponsible economy.