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Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program

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Program Intake Status

The program is fully allocated and is not currently accepting applications or proposals.

While Budget 2023 includes a recapitalization of the Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program (SREPs), project eligibility, program timeline, and other details are not yet available. Information will be shared on this page and with program stakeholders through the program distribution list as it becomes available.

To receive future program updates by email, please send a request to sreps-erite@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca to be added to the SREPs distribution list.

Accelerating Canada’s Low Carbon Future

The Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program (SREPs) provides approximately $4.5 billion until 2035 for smart renewable energy and electrical grid modernization projects. This includes nearly $3 billion for the program announced in Budget 2023, which builds on hundreds of millions of dollars in successful funding to support projects that are actively supplying clean, affordable, and reliable power to Canadian electrical grids.

This program will significantly reduce emissions and create sustainable jobs by continuing to support the deployment of energy storage and renewables in every region of Canada.

Transforming Canada’s Electrical Grid and Supporting Renewables

SREPs provides up to a maximum of $25 million to eligible renewable energy and grid modernization projects during the construction phase. Projects must use market ready technologies and apply workplace equity, diversity, and inclusion components.

Mandatory outcomes of the program are to:

  • Decrease greenhouse gas emissions from Canada’s electricity system;
  • Increase the number of electricity system assets that can contribute to system reliability;
  • Generate economic and social benefits, including job creation and increased equity, diversity and inclusion in the energy sector; and
  • Increase renewable energy capacity or increase electrical grid accommodation of renewable energy;

Where applicable, the program will also increase meaningful Indigenous ownership of, and benefits from, smart renewable energy projects.

Projects eligible for funding are large-scale renewable energy projects capable of providing grid services, energy storage or grid modernization projects. For information on eligibility, please refer to the Generation and Storage Applicant Guide or the Grid Modernization Applicant Guide.

Program Results to Date

SREPs has achieved the following as of January 31, 2023:

  • All Budget 2021 and 2022 funding is allocated to approved projects. To date, the program has signed contribution agreements for 106 of these approved deployment and capacity building projects, totaling over $1 billion in funding. We will update these figures quarterly as approved projects sign Contribution Agreements.
  • The program has approved funding for 71 deployment projects, enabling the deployment of approximately 2,700 megawatts of new renewable energy capacity and displacing 3.5 megatonnes of CO2e per year.
  • 42 approved deployment projects have Indigenous ownership, representing over $810 million in program contributions and an estimated 15,800 job-years.
  • SREPs has approved funding for 21 energy storage and grid modernization projects, to better prepare the grid for a transition to a net-zero electricity system. These projects will deliver grid services, enabling utilities to develop new operational processes and allow higher levels of renewable energy generation by using intermittent renewables to provide non-energy services historically provided by fossil-fuel generators.
  • The program has approved 49 capacity building projects totaling nearly $76 million in funding. 27 of these projects have Indigenous ownership representing close to $32 million in program contributions.
  • All approved deployment projects include an equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) plan or a public EDI commitment.

What projects are eligible?

Eligible Projects under SREPs include, but are not limited to, the permanent deployment of technologies listed below.

Understanding that First Nations, Inuit, and Métis partners experience unique barriers to participating in the energy transition, SREPs aims to enable and encourage their participation by providing greater funding percentages, as well as supporting smaller-sized projects. Please refer to the Applicant Guides for more information.

Eligible Projects by Stream
Program Stream

Examples of Eligible Projects

Established Renewables

(Refer to Generation and Storage Applicant Guide)

  • Onshore wind
  • Solar photovoltaic (including bi-facial)
  • Small hydro
  • Biomass (heat and/or electricity)

Emerging Technologies

(Refer to Generation and Storage Applicant Guide)

  • Offshore wind
  • Geothermal (heat and/or electricity)
  • Concentrated solar power
  • Energy storage
  • Renewable community heating
  • Water current, tidal or wave
  • Retrofits to enable grid services on existing renewable energy or energy storage plants

Grid Modernization

(Refer to Grid Modernization Applicant Guide)

  • Advanced Distribution Management System (ADMS)
  • Data management and communication
  • Demand management
  • Distributed Energy Resource Management System (DERMS)
  • Energy storage (owned and operated by a utility)
  • Electricity market reform
  • Electric Vehicle (EV) integration
  • Grid monitoring and automation
  • Hardware or software retrofits to an existing renewable energy or energy storage project to enable grid service capabilities
  • Microgrid
  • Software or hardware to enable aggregating Distributed Energy Resources (DER), e.g., virtual power plant
  • Utility system software and hardware upgrades 

Applicant Guides

The SREPs Applicant Guides posted below were issued for a prior application intake process that ended January 18th, 2023, and are subject to change for future iterations of the program.

The recapitalization of SREPs announced in Budget 2023 alluded to additional program priorities and Program staff are in the process of assessing how these additional measures will be incorporated into the next iteration of the Program.  NRCan is also reviewing the program to identify how the recapitalization outlined in Budget 2023 can best align with applicable investment tax credits and targeted financing available through the Canada Infrastructure Bank.

Program staff are also determining the extent to which new program elements may impact project eligibility criteria and the application process.

Capacity Building and Indigenous Engagement

SREPs offers a Capacity Building Stream to support the equitable transition to a cleaner electrical grid, helping communities and organizations acquire the knowledge and tools needed to develop renewable energy and grid modernization projects.

In addition, up to $50,000 per fiscal year per project in Grant funding is available through SREPs for Indigenous engagement activities.

Please visit the Capacity Building webpage for more information.

Have questions?

Email us at sreps-erite@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca

Keep up to date with future funding opportunities by subscribing to the Clean Growth Hub Newsletter.

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