Natural Resources Canada
98/66
September 2, 1998

GOODALE PRAISES ENMAX ON ITS GREEN POWER ANNOUNCEMENT

Wind-generated electricity is now available to Calgary power consumers. Ralph Goodale, Minister of Natural Resources Canada (NRCAN), today congratulated ENMAX Corporation, formerly the City of Calgary Electrical System, for offering its public and business customers the option of purchasing green power.

"This type of power produces little or no air pollution or greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide," said Minister Goodale. "Green power has tremendous industrial potential in Canada, especially as we try to reduce our emissions to meet our international climate change commitments."

Green power is electricity generated in a sustainable fashion from renewable energy sources such as wind, water, biomass and the sun. In this case, ENMAX will be using wind power generated by Vision Quest Windelectric Inc.

NRCan is ENMAX's largest customer of green power. Under an agreement signed in January 1998, ENMAX is supplying all NRCan buildings in Alberta with electricity generated from renewable energy sources. ENMAX will provide 10 million kilowatt-hours a year of green power for ten years to NRCan facilities in Alberta. Since January 1998, NRCan has purchased about 7,000 megawatt hours of green power, thereby avoiding about 6,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.

Through the use of green power, as well as energy efficiency measures, the federal government will likely surpass its commitment to reduce greenhouse gases emitted by its own operations. That target was to reduce emissions to 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2005. Current estimates suggest that the actual reduction achieved will be 27 percent.

"This launch demonstrates that it is feasible for a utility company to offer green power to its end users," Mr. Goodale said. "ENMAX is showing good corporate citizenship by responding to the environmental concerns of its customers."

Green power purchasing was proposed in the November 1994 final report by the federal Task Force on Economic Instruments and Disincentives to Sound Environmental Practices. It was also one of the new initiatives announced in October 1996 in NRCan's Renewable Energy Strategy - Creating a New Momentum, which focuses on accelerating the development and commercialization of renewable energy technologies.

For more information contact:
John Embury
Press Secretary
Natural Resources Canada
(613) 996-2007