Premier Dwight Ball made the claim during his speech at last night’s “Evening with the Premier” at the Delta Hotel, saying that Newfoundland and Labrador will be the “energy capital of Canada by 2030”.
When asked how he could declare and judge something like that, Ball had a simple answer, “why not?”.
Ball says right now the province has all the assets.
He says the province has clean hydro-electricity opportunities, mining, which he says is the foundation for many of the clean-energy initiatives seen anywhere in the world.
Ball reiterates that we have some the best oil in the world when it comes to carbon intensity, meaning the amount of emissions burned to produce and bring it to market. He says the province’s oil is 50 per cent better than the world average, and that’s why people are coming to Newfoundland and Labrador to set up business, especially in the oil and gas industry.
Speaking to Supporters, Premier Focuses on Progress
The $500-per plate event at the Delta Hotel went by without any real news from the Premier like has happened in the past. Ball announced the Muskrat Falls Inquiry during the event in 2017.
Early in his speech, Ball said he didn’t want to dwell on the former state of the province.
Ball said he wasn’t going to talk about how bad of a situation the province was in when they took office in 2015. Instead, he said he wanted to talk about what they’ve accomplished as a party, a team and a province.
The Premier touched on progress made on issues facing seniors and highlighted a number of infrastructure projects like the replacement of the Waterford Hospital, and the new hospital in Corner Brook.
He stressed the success of the province’s natural resources sector with the numerous mining projects, and of course, oil and gas.