Minister Petitpas Taylor announces major investments to upgrade Gagetown military base
News release
March 14, 2024 – Oromocto, New Brunswick – Department of National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces
Today, the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence, visited 5th Canadian Division Support Base Gagetown. The Minister was accompanied by Jenica Atwin, Member of Parliament for Fredericton.
On behalf of the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence, Minister Petitpas Taylor announced that the Government of Canada is investing $55.6 million to upgrade 255 buildings on the base through an Energy Performance Contract. This includes LED lighting upgrades, heat and energy recovery systems for heating and cooling equipment, high efficiency boilers for heating, upgraded building envelopes, high efficiency water fixtures, a new high-efficiency gas power generator, and geothermal technology.
Once completed in 2026, this project will reduce the base’s energy costs by 24%, or $3 million annually, and its GHG emissions by over 8,700 tonnes per year – the equivalent of taking more than 1,700 cars off the road. The first emissions reduction and energy savings will be available starting next month, in April 2024, and we expect the upgrades to be complete by April 2026, with the full reduction in energy costs coming into effect at that point.
This project is expected to create more than 200 jobs in the Oromocto area during construction. In addition, already-hired workers will be gaining new skills through training on the use of the upgraded equipment. Ameresco Canada Inc., from Richmond Hill, Ontario, has also been awarded this second contract.
On behalf of Minister Blair, Minister Petitpas Taylor also announced that the Government of Canada is investing approximately $19.7 million to construct a solar farm with an output of up to 8.9 megawatts (MW) at the Gagetown military base. The federal government has awarded a contact for this project to Ameresco Canada Inc., of Richmond Hill, ON.
Once completed in 2025, the solar farm will help power over two-thirds of the energy used during peak hours at the base, reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by about 3,200 tonnes per year. The farm will produce approximately 8,900 MW hours of electricity annually, which is about a 20% of 5 CDSB Gagetown’s electricity requirements, or the equivalent of enough energy to power 2,000 homes. The solar farm will help the Government of Canada fulfil its target of using 100% clean electricity at all federal buildings by 2025 – and contribute to the federal government’s target of reaching carbon neutrality by 2050.
This project will generate significant economic benefits for the surrounding region, including Indigenous peoples. At least 5% of the value of goods, services and contracted labour will come from Indigenous-owned businesses and Indigenous peoples. We expect the total project investment to be about $27.5 million, including construction – and 25 years of operation, maintenance, life cycle and administrative costs, and more.
The Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces have already reduced GHG emissions by 36% across Canada, compared with 2005 levels. The Government of Canada will continue to make landmark investments to reduce the carbon footprint of Defence infrastructure by powering military bases with clean electricity and improving the energy efficiency in our buildings.
Quotes
“We have an obligation to provide our military personnel with modern, green infrastructure that meets their needs – and that is exactly what we are doing with these investments. These upgrades to our Gagetown military base will create hundreds of jobs and reduce our emissions – creating a healthier environment for our military personnel and all Canadians.”
The Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence
“The modernizations to the Gagetown base will benefit our military members and make the base more sustainable in the long term. By supporting green projects like these, we’re investing in Atlantic Canada’s economic prosperity while developing local employees’ expertise in these new green technologies. This is an excellent step forward on our path to reduce emissions.”
The Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence
“Projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help save costs are good for the environment and good for the economy. As the Member of Parliament representing Base Gagetown, and as someone born and raised in Oromocto, I know that the people in this community care deeply about both making life more affordable and combatting the climate crisis. Investing in smart, effective projects like the solar farm and the energy-efficient upgrades will help us do that.”
Jenica Atwin, Member of Parliament for Fredericton
Quick facts
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The solar farm will be built at 5 CDSB Gagetown, in the range and training area located between Shirley Road and the Trans-Canada Highway. We expect the solar farm will occupy approximately 40 acres of land.
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We are committed to building and maintaining positive relationships in the communities we operate. With this in mind, we engaged the community for public comment on this project. The public comment period ran from April 2021 until the end of October 2021. As part of our local engagement prior to contracting the project, we reached out to 16 nearby Indigenous communities and have taken their feedback into consideration while developing this contract. Accordingly, this contract will include an Indigenous Benefits Plan, engaging the contractor to source at least 5% of the goods and services for this project from Indigenous-owned suppliers and businesses, and to hire Indigenous peoples for at least 5% of the contracted labour.
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Results of our environmental studies suggest that the project poses a low risk to the surrounding environment, and that any impacts could be effectively mitigated or offset. We are taking necessary steps to minimize impacts on the environment prior to and during construction.
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Though the solar farm project, when complete, will be able to meet a significant portion of Base Gagetown’s electricity needs, DND will continue to purchase energy from New Brunswick Power for its remaining electricity needs at the base.
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An EPC 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. Our facilities remain fully functional during the project, with no impact on military operations.
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For this EPC, the money saved in energy costs will be used to pay Ameresco Inc. back over 14 years, minimizing upfront costs and guaranteeing that the upgrades produce savings.
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In addition to Gagetown, similar projects are underway at Borden, Kingston, Halifax, Greenwood, Valcartier, Esquimalt, and Petawawa, with similar contracts in development in Alert, Comox, Trenton, and Shilo.
Contacts
Diana Ebadi
Press Secretary and Communications Advisor
Office of the Minister of National Defence
Email: diana.ebadi@forces.gc.ca
Media Relations
Department of National Defence
Phone: 613-904-3333
Email: mlo-blm@forces.gc.ca
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