The Government of Canada announced a $45.3 million investment in infrastructure upgrades at 3 Canadian Division Support Base (CDSB) Edmonton.
This energy performance contract (EPC) project will upgrade 124 buildings at the Edmonton military base, reducing the Base’s energy costs by 21 per cent, or an estimated $2 million annually. Energy retrofits will also lower greenhouse gas emissions by almost 5,200 tonnes per year. Upgrades will include LED lighting upgrades, modernized heating and cooling equipment, replacing fossil fuel heating systems with low carbon alternatives, upgraded building envelopes, high efficiency water fixtures, renewable energy installations, and more.
“The Canadian Armed Forces deserve modern, clean, and energy-efficient infrastructure that gets the job done. By investing in upgrades and retrofits to our infrastructure, we are supporting green industry in Canada, reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, and cutting energy costs. We will continue to make investments like this, ensuring that our personnel have the facilities that they need to train so that they are always ready to protect Canadians,” said Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence.
The contract for this work was awarded to Ameresco Inc. of Richmond, Ont., and this project is expected to sustain over 125 jobs during construction.
“The Canadian Armed Forces of Edmonton have always answered the call of service — from training Ukraine’s heroes, to supporting Canadians in need during forest fires. As our strategies adapt to meet the demands of our ever-changing environment, this means upgrading our base infrastructure to reduce emissions and support our green industry. This investment is one step towards improving our training facilities and making them resilient for a net zero future,” said Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages and Member of Parliament for Edmonton Centre.
Officials expect to see the first emissions reductions and energy savings by the end of 2024, with the full reduction in energy costs by 2026. Design and construction have begun, and we anticipate all retrofits and upgrades will be complete in 2026.
Since 2015, we’ve implemented EPC contracts at 15 locations, and alongside our energy service company partners, have invested almost $515 million in energy and GHG reduction improvements. Once the EPC projects underway are completed, we expect to reduce our annual energy costs by nearly $20 million per year and reduce our emissions by over 80,000 tonnes annually.
An energy performance contract is a contract with an energy services company, where the company finances energy retrofit projects at a base or wing and guarantees the savings. DND then uses the savings from the reduction in our energy costs to pay back the company over a five- to 15-year period, limiting upfront costs for the government. The money saved in energy costs will be used to repay the energy service company over a fourteen-year period, which minimizes our upfront costs and guarantees that the upgrades produce savings.
EPC projects have been completed in Greenwood, Esquimalt, Petawawa, Valcartier and Bagotville and more. EPC projects are underway at Comox, Borden, Kingston, Shilo, Halifax, Alert, Gagetown and Edmonton, as well as a second EPC at Valcartier., Similar contracts are now in development for bases in Trenton St Jean, Montreal, Winnipeg, Wainwright, Dundurn, Gander, and Goose Bay.
Featured image: Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages and MP for Edmonton Centre (left) and Minister of National Defence, Bill Blair. (Government of Canada)