Honorable Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, India, Honorable George Smitherman, Deputy Premier and Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, Ontario as well as senior executives from the public and private sectors will be among the key participants of the two-day Energy Conference organized by the Canada India Foundation from April 15th to April 17th in Toronto. One of the key highlights of the inauguration will be the video conference with Honorable Dr Abdul Kalam, former President of India, who will speak on the topic “Energy Security and Independence.”
“The event, which comes close on the heels of the Green Energy and Green Economy Act, (Bill 150) proposed by Ontario government, will deliberate on enhancing the existing relationships between Canada and India in the vital energy sector and evaluate new opportunities for collaboration,” said conference Co-Chair, V I Lakshmanan. The proposed bill is expected to boost investments in renewable energy projects and increase conservation in Ontario. It is part of Ontario’s plan to become a leading green economy in North America.
Some of the prominent executives from the Canadian private sector participating in the event include, Duncan Hawthorne, CEO, Bruce Power, Patrick Daniel CEO, Enbridge and Gerald Grandey, CEO, Cameco. In addition, some eminent private sector executives from India, including Tulsi Tanti, Chairman Suzlon Energy Limited, M.S Unnikrishnan, MD Thermax India and Mrityunjay Athreya , a leading management consultant from India will also participate.
Canada and India have a long-standing relationship in the energy sector. “Historically the relationship goes back to the fifties when Canada had helped set up hydro and nuclear power projects in India,” stated Lakshmanan. “The recent talks on the nuclear cooperation pact and the visit of Hon. Stockwell Day, Minister of International Trade to India this January, have taken the bilateral relationship to a new level,” he added. “There are several opportunities for Canada in the nuclear energy sector. Canada would not only be a supplier of uranium but would serve as a key technology partner to India, and it can also implement turn-key projects for setting up or upgrading existing nuclear reactors. For example, CANDU reactors in India are now over thirty years old and there will be a huge need for services to upgrade them,” stated Lakshmanan.
There is also opportunity to develop a strategic partnership between the two countries in the renewable energy and oil and gas sector. India is a leading player in renewable energy like wind and biomass. Suzlon Power Limited from India, which is the fifth largest wind turbine manufacturer, is a case in point. Suzlon recently acquired REpower which is developing a 954 MW wind-farm in Quebec. These companies have the opportunity to harness and harvest the technologies they have developed in countries like Canada, which have a lower carbon footprint.
While the conference focuses on sharing domain knowledge and expertise between the two countries, it also provides opportunities for sharing market intelligence from the two countries, as well from third party countries like Africa and Latin America. One of the major goals of the conference is also to drive strategic legislative and policy initiatives that will strengthen economic ties between the two countries.
“Indo-Canadians are best-positioned to help accelerate trade and economic ties between the two countries,” stated Lakshmanan. “This is because our vested interest goes beyond the transactional value of the deal. With family back home and our children growing here, we work towards building a long-term, sustainable relationship between the two countries that have nurtured us,” he adds.
