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EUROPEAN TOUR BUILDS PARTNERSHIPS, CELEBRATES
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DUSSELDORF
– A two-week trade mission to Rome, Sweden, Norway and Germany strengthened
the international exchange of expertise in alternative energy, said Energy,
Mines and Petroleum Resources Minister Richard Neufeld today from Germany.
A highlight of the tour was an award presentation in Rome, at the World Energy Congress. B.C.’s Hydrogen Highway received the prestigious Technical Achievement Award presented by the International Partnership for the Hydrogen Economy.
“British Columbia has a proven track record in bringing ideas and innovation to the energy sector,” said Neufeld. “European nations are also leaders in regulatory reform and in implementing innovative technologies for bioenergy, biofuels and ocean renewable energy. We have much to learn from each other in addressing the global challenge of climate change and building sustainable communities.”
Neufeld and Gianluca Salvatori, the
Minister
of Planning, Research and Innovation from the Province of Trento, Italy signed
a memorandum of understanding on Environment and Sustainable Technology at the
World Energy Congress.
B.C.’s Ministry of Energy, Mines
and Petroleum Resources and Sweden’s Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and
Communications signed a Joint Statement strengthening a partnership of
information exchange and best practices for the development and use of
bioenergy and biorefining technologies.
The minister met with Norwegian government and industry representatives in renewable energy, carbon capture and storage and offshore resources.
The Swedish tour included site visits to a black liquor gasification pilot plant, a combined heat and power plant and a waste to energy project.
In Germany, site visits included a solar energy housing estate, a biodiesel plant and a lignite-fired power plant that will test scrubbing technologies to remove carbon dioxide from emissions. The minister presented a keynote address at the seventh annual meeting of the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Network in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). Collaboration on advancing the hydrogen and fuel cell economy has continued between British Columbia and NRW since the 2004 signing of a memorandum of understanding between the two jurisdictions.
For more information on the BC Energy Plan, A Vision for Clean Energy Leadership, go to www.energyplan.gov.bc.ca.
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Public Affairs Officer Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources 250 952-0628 250 213-6934 (cell) |
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For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca. |
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