In July, the Hampton Roads Alliance (the Alliance) led a trade and educational mission to the Canadian Province of Québec to meet with companies and organizations that have paired commercial success with decarbonization efforts. The Government of Quebec has set a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 37.5% below 1990 levels by 2030. The Commonwealth of Virginia is also taking serious action to address climate change. With the 2020 passage of the Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA), the Commonwealth is in the early stages of a major energy transition.
This is a transition that must be managed carefully, especially in Hampton Roads, due to unique energy challenges and opportunities that face the region. Energy demand, particularly for natural gas, has outpaced supply. On the other hand, Hampton Roads has a generational economic opportunity to position itself as a clean energy hub, starting with the offshore wind industry. Ultimately, it is the goal of the Alliance to accelerate economic growth in the region by ensuring that we have control over our energy future—A future that includes a reliable, cost-effective, and progressively cleaner energy supply.
With these issues in mind, the Alliance travelled to Canada to meet with companies and organizations that also see opportunity in the global energy transition. We went to learn from their experience, and to grow relationships with businesses that are considering investment in Virginia because of our similar energy goals, first-class business environment, and the market our Commonwealth provides to businesses that share our values.
The Alliance was represented on the trip by Doug Smith, President and CEO, and Matt Smith, Director of Offshore Wind. We were also incredibly fortunate to be joined by representatives of two organizations at the center of Virginia’s economy and its clean energy transition, as well as economic development partners who will be critical players in taking action to maximize energy-related economic development opportunities. Our partners on this trip were Cathie Vick, Chief Development and Public Affairs Officer at the Port of Virginia, Julie Manzari, Business Development Advisor for New Business and Customer Solutions at Dominion Energy, Chuck Rigney, Economic Development Director for the City of Hampton, and Ben White, Deputy Director of Economic Development for the City of Chesapeake.
We were even more fortunate to have excellent hosts. Frederic Langlois, Transportation and Energy Attache with the Québec Government Office in New York, and Lydia Halley Soucy, International Trade Advisor for U.S. Markets with Investissement Québec, helped arrange an outstanding agenda and accompanied our team from Virginia throughout the trip. This relationship with the Province of Québec began when representatives of their government visited Hampton Roads in late 2021. It continued with this trip, and we look forward to building on the partnership between Québec and Virginia in the future.
The first day of the mission focused on Québec’s renewable energy sector. The stage was set for the day by market overviews from the Québec Association for the Production of Renewable Energy and the Electric Power Industry Association of Québec. Our delegation then spent the afternoon at Hydro-Québec and their extraordinary research institute. Hydro-Québec is at the center of Québec’s energy ecosystem. It manages the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity in the province, which is almost 100% renewable. Their research institute is also pioneering solutions for the electrification of transportation, building heat, and battery storage and provides incubation assistance for clean energy companies.
Day two was about electrification of Québec’s transportation sector. We again began the day with meetings with two trade organizations – the Cluster for Electric and Smart Transportation and the Logistics and Transportation Cluster of Montreal. In the afternoon, we visited the manufacturing facilities of Lion Electric and Nova Bus. Lion Electric builds electric trucks and school buses and Nova Bus builds both conventional and electric transit buses. Both companies have an interest in Virginia, and Lion Electric has plans to visit Virginia in September.
On Wednesday and Thursday, we had a mixed set of meetings with companies in the maritime, electric transportation, and advanced manufacturing sectors. We met with the Ports of Montrealand Trois-Rivières. Ports, along with being important economic drivers, often lead decarbonization efforts in response to demands from their global customers. In fact, The Port of Virginia has set a goal to operate with net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. We also met with the shipping and terminal management company Fednav, heavy manufacturing company Marmen, and Flo Addénergie, a manufacturer of electric vehicle chargers. Both Fednav and Marmen have a strong interest in being part of the growing offshore wind industry in Hampton Roads.
The trip produced valuable insights into how the very serious work of mitigating climate change can be paired with economic opportunity. From a technical perspective we left smarter than when we began, but even more importantly we brought back ideas and inspiration for how we can leverage economic advantage from Virginia’s energy transition. Of course, critical to the success of any trade mission, we formed and strengthened relationships with companies that can help our region on its path to becoming a job-creating clean energy hub.
