Webinar – Energy Corridors: Expanding Interprovincial Electricity Transmission and Trade

In 2024, the Canada Electricity Advisory Council identified expanding interprovincial transmission as one of its top priorities. One year later, new transmission success stories are emerging, and momentum is growing.

Provinces and Territories appear readier than ever to overcome historic silos and enhance East-West transmission capacity and trade even further. What are the long-term benefits — for the economy, for grid reliability, and for the environment — and are they finally at hand ?

Join senior energy industry leaders for a nuanced discussion about transmission in Canada, and how to seize this opportunity. We’ll discuss:

• The Opportunity: framing the discussion on interprovincial transmission with insights into the regions, technologies and projects currently at play, as well as the key benefits that expanded transmission can bring for affordability, reliability and climate.  
• The Challenges: despite several success stories, the build-out of interprovincial transmission in Canada has been limited. We’ll explore the planning, regulatory, infrastructure and market barriers that have prevented further expansion to date.
• The Vision: the roles that utilities, government, system operators and the private sector can play to advance interprovincial transmission.

Don’t miss the chance to gain a deeper understanding around this timely and complex topic.

Featured Speakers

Mark Sidebottom

Chief Clean Energy Officer, Nova Scotia Power

Mark was appointed Chief Clean Energy Officer of Nova Scotia Power Inc. in 2022, after holding the Chief Operating Officer position since 2016. In 2021, Mark’s focus moved to leading the company’s decarbonization strategy, with a mandate to significantly reduce carbon emissions while integrating new technologies, innovations, and greener solutions to meet the energy needs of customers.

Mark is a past chair of the Board of Directors of the Halifax Chamber of Commerce. He is a past treasurer and board member of Junior Achievement Nova Scotia, the Fossil Advisory Board, and the Silicon Island Advisory Board. Mark is also the former Chair of the Generation Council for the Canadian Electricity Association.

Vittoria Bellissimo

President and CEO, CanREA

Vittoria Bellissimo is President & CEO of the Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CanREA). Vittoria leads a member association focused on ensuring that wind energy, solar energy and energy storage play a central role in transforming Canada’s energy mix.

Vittoria was previously the Executive Director of the Industrial Power Consumers Association of Alberta and worked in renewable energy procurement at both the Ontario Ministry of Energy and the Ontario Power Authority (now the IESO). Vittoria served on the Board of Emissions Reduction Alberta, as Vice Chair of Energy Efficiency Alberta, and was a founding Board member of Women+Power.

Tim Eckel

Energy Transition and Asset Management Senior Advisor (formerly SaskPower)

Tim Eckel is a senior advisor and consulting engineer focused on utility energy transitions and asset management. He has spent more than 40 years in the electricity industry, mostly with SaskPower, the provincial electric utility in Saskatchewan. While at SaskPower, Tim was a member of the executive team and served as Vice President, Energy Transition & Asset Management. Tim led the implementation of an asset management business model at SaskPower for the Generation, Transmission and Distribution divisions, including process and structure changes at the utility. Among other positions, he currently acts as an Affiliate Consultant, Electricity Sector, with Dunsky Energy + Climate Advisors.

He was also responsible for the sustainment and long-term planning for the Generation, Transmission and Distribution systems at SaskPower, including the corporation’s plans for net-zero and grid modernization.

Philippe Dunsky

President and Founder, Dunsky Energy + Climate Advisors

Philippe Dunsky brings 30 years of business and policy experience focused on a singular passion: helping clients accelerate and navigate the clean energy transition, effectively, responsibly and at scale. He has the honour of leading a first-rate team of 60 professionals, and the privilege of supporting clients among North America’s climate leaders. As a trusted adviser to both executives and policymakers, Philippe helps organizations chart the course toward decarbonization without losing sight of economic imperatives.

His experience spans the full array of solutions across both energy supply and demand (buildings, mobility and industry). His work is informed by three decades of experience assessing markets, designing policies and programs, conducting techno-economic studies, building regulatory frameworks and defining market strategies. He is regularly called as an expert witness at regulatory proceedings.