The Mayor of St. John’s says the province has some prime opportunities when it comes to diversifying the offshore oil industry.

The provincial government has made it clear that it will continue to look for new ways to reduce emissions, but as long as the world wants oil, they will be pushing for offshore exploration.

Mayor Danny Breen was recently in Houston for an oil and gas conference, and says things are shifting, with oil companies looking to diversify their assets.

Before, it was all about oil production, now there is a more of a focus on technology and green energy.

Breen says a lot of things are happening in the St. John’s area, on a smaller scale.

The Riverhead Wastewater Treatment Facility, which uses biogas to heat the building and diverting away from fossil fuels and electricity is just one example. The city is also measuring the amount of landfill gases available to see if what waste to energy options are there.

But, the focus isn’t just on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and electrification.

Breen says they need to make sure infrastructure and assets are resilient and providing protection to residents.