News Release

FREDERICTON (GNB) – Energy and Mines Minister Donald Arseneault will participate in this year’s Energy and Mines Ministers’ Conference being held in Halifax from July 19 to 21.

“I look forward to sharing New Brunswick’s energy and resource story with my colleagues from across the country, including the federal government,” said Arseneault. “For example, just this year we created a program to enable local entities to develop renewable energy projects, worked with Nova Scotia to develop a first-of-its-kind joint dispatch system, invested in First Nations mining training programs at the Trevali mine in Bathurst and showcased our energy strengths to 17 European Union ambassadors, all while continuing to build upon our partnership with Siemens Canada to integrate Smart Grid technology into our electrical system.”

Arseneault said that there are several promising energy and resource projects on the horizon for the province, such as the Energy East pipeline, the Sisson mine project near Fredericton, the construction of an LNG export terminal in Saint John and the Chaleur Terminals project in Belledune.

During the conference he will also meet separately with a number of other ministers and industry leaders to discuss priority files for New Brunswick. Arseneault will also promote the Canadian Energy Strategy which the premiers agreed to last week at their summer meeting in Newfoundland and Labrador. He believes the strategy could act as a catalyst for major energy projects such as the Energy East pipeline.

“Our government is focused on taking a diversified approach to growing our energy and resource sectors,” said Arseneault. “I believe that by working collaboratively we can enhance our energy systems and responsibly develop our natural resources to create jobs and grow our respective economies.”

The conference is an annual gathering of federal, provincial and territorial ministers responsible for energy and mining portfolios to discuss shared priorities for collaborative action to advance energy and mining development across the country.