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The Gagetown sign located at the main gate on 5th Canadian Division Support Base Gagetown. Image: Sailor 3rd Class Alyssa Jackson, Tactics School Combat Training Centre Tactics School, 5th Canadian Division Support Base Gagetown

$75M for upgrades, solar farm at Base Gagetown

By Regis Phillips Mar 14, 2024 | 6:25 PM

Canada’s second-largest military base is receiving significant funding from the federal government.

Officials gathered at Base Gagetown on Thursday to announce more than $75 million for two projects.

The first, worth $55.6 million, will see various upgrades to 255 buildings to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as:

  • LED lighting upgrades,
  • Heat and energy recovery systems for heating and cooling equipment
  • High-efficiency boilers for heating
  • Upgraded building envelopes
  • High-efficiency water fixtures
  • New high-efficiency gas power generator
  • Geothermal technology

Officials say the project, due to be completed by 2026, will reduce the base’s energy costs by $3 million annually and greenhouse gas emissions by more than 8,700 tonnes per year.

National Defence Minister Bill Blair said this project is expected to create more than 200 jobs in the Oromocto area during construction.

“We have an obligation to provide our military personnel with modern, green infrastructure that meets their needs – and that is exactly what we are doing with these investments,” said Blair.

Ottawa also announced $19.7 million in federal funding to construct a 40-acre solar farm at Base Gagetown.

The solar farm will provide more than two-thirds of the energy used during peak hours at the military base. It will be constructed in the range and training area located between Shirley Road and the Trans-Canada Highway.

Once completed in 2025, officials said the solar farm will reduce Base Gagetown’s GHG by about 3,200 tonnes per year, while also producing 8,900 megawatts hours of electricity annually, or enough to power 2,000 homes.

Veterans Affairs Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor, who is also the associate minister of national defence, believes modernizing Base Gagetown will benefit military members and make the base more sustainable in the long term.

“By supporting green projects like these, we’re investing in Atlantic Canada’s economic prosperity while developing local employees’ expertise in these new green technologies. This is an excellent step forward on our path to reduce emissions,” said Taylor.

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