The Canadian Ministry of Energy has announced up to CAD$500 million ($362.1m) in funding for its Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways program (SREPs) Utility Support Stream. The program received nearly CAD$2.9 billion ($2.1bn) in the Canadian government's 2023 budget to support clean electricity infrastructure, including renewable energy technologies, energy storage, and grid modernization projects, to enhance the strength and reliability of its electricity grid.
A portion of this has now been allocated to the utility support stream, which is now open for expressions of interest from utilities, system operators, and industry groups aiming to modernize their infrastructure for better renewable energy integration or expand transmission and distribution networks.
Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada's minister of energy and natural resources, commented on the announcement stating: “I am pleased to celebrate the ongoing successes of this program and to announce the opening of the Utility Support Stream as of today. This next step will allow us to support even more projects as we work with provinces, territories, Indigenous governments, and non-governmental partners toward an energy-efficient and money-saving clean grid.”
