The Global CO2 Initiative (GCI) is excited to announce the release of the first-ever report that looking at energy generation and transmission across the Great Lakes St. Lawrence region!
This report is released in advance of the Conference of Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers (GSGP) Leadership Summit in Québec City. The report, “A 10-Year Retrospective and Prospective Assessment of Trends in Electricity Supply and Demand and Associated Water Consumption in the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Region,” conducted by Global CO2 Initiative at the University of Michigan, used public data from 2014 to 2023 to provide a retrospective and prospective assessment of the region’s. electricity generation and related water use.
Lead author, Xin Shen, a University of Michigan Civil and Environmental Engineering PhD student, remarked, “I was surprised that no one had ever looked at the entire Great Lakes–St. Lawrence area from a ‘region as a whole’ perspective before. Using this perspective, we discovered some striking findings, such as the region overall exporting electricity, the decoupling of regional GDP growth from energy consumption, and the high level of interdependence in electricity flows across the region.”
GSGP aims to assess strategies to boost the region’s economic competitiveness and attractiveness as a hub for energy-using industries.
“This report is enlightening as it provides historical context while also projecting future electricity supply and demand as we look to support a growing economy, in the future” said David Naftzger, GSGP’s Executive Director.
Overall, the study observed that the region’s shift from coal and nuclear to gas, solar, and wind, energy production has resulted in significant decarbonization and reduced water use, while supporting an increase in regional economic output as measured by gross domestic product. More efficient energy production and decreased water use from the power sector offers new potential economic opportunities for the region.
The report addressed several key questions:
- How much electricity is generated in the region?
- How is the region meeting its renewable energy demand?
- Where are the primary transmission lines in the region?
- What is the net import or export of electricity into or from the region by source?
- Which States or Provinces are the largest exporters?
- What are the projected changes in electricity, fuel, and water use consumption?
- What are recommendations for achieving optimal outcomes?
Some of the key insights from the study include the following points.
- The region produces more energy than it consumes, and it has an opportunity going forward to consider the best economic use of excess regional energy.
- Energy consumption in the region over the last 10 years has been largely stable, while real GDP at the Provincial and State levels has grown.
- The region has conserved billions of gallons of water annually related to electricity production.
- The region’s electric system operates as a whole with considerable interstate/interprovincial and international power flows.
Susan Fancy, GCI’s Managing Director, will be presenting the report’s findings at this weekend’s Leadership Summit of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers in Québec City.
