A visionary leader for energy security
“We made it our objective to be the first 100% green municipality in North America,” says Jean-Benoit Trahan of the ambitious decision he made shortly after becoming president of Quebec natural gas distribution company Gazifère. At the helm of that shift, he certainly qualifies. Trahan joined Gazifère nine years ago following nearly two decades of experience in the energy industry as a consultant and regulator both in Canada and internationally.
He grew up in Montreal, his first university degree was in economics and he promptly started out in the energy industry, later earning an MBA from the University of Sherbrooke. “After my bachelor’s degree I had an internship with the Quebec Energy Board,” he says. That was a good career start for what followed, but Jean-Benoit wanted some broader experience; to expand his horizons — internationally perhaps.
He had a good idea for accomplishing that aspiration. “At that time the people at the Quebec Energy Board weren’t allowed to do any international work,” he says. “So in 2000 I decided to leave them and become a consultant. For ten years I represented customers for the Board.” That fulfilled the international interest and gave him valuable experience. “I did a lot of work in Africa, where I was hired as an expert — an expert on rates in countries where they were building their own regulatory systems,” he says. He chalked up an impressive international record: “I worked in Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo. We also sponsored courses in Algeria, Morocco, Chad, and Cameroon.” Then, he says, travelling started getting a bit too hard.
“So I jumped to the other side and worked for three years, then ten years ago joined Gazifère, where I handled finance and budget. Then when the energy sector began to move on the energy transition and options, we had to move fast on providing energy security while reducing emissions. Following that I became General Manager at Gazifère and Director of the Eastern Region (Ontario) for Enbridge Gas. I still wear the two hats but am now President at Gazifère. So my background is very diverse and large. I also do our public relations, because we are a small utility.”
Small indeed. Gazifère has 110 employees. It’s affiliated with Enbridge Gas Distribution of Ontario and is a subsidiary of Enbridge Inc., a leader in energy transport and distribution in North America and worldwide. Established in the Outaouais region in 1959, Gazifère is one of two natural gas distributors in Quebec. It owns and operates a 1,000-km gas supply system serving more than 43,500 residential, commercial, institutional and industrial customers. With a franchise until 2031, Gazifère spans the territory between Fort-Coulonge, Montebello and Grand-Remous. The company currently supplies all five sectors of the city of Gatineau as well as the municipality of Chelsea.
In November 2020, the Government of Quebec announced its 2030 Plan for a Green Economy. Under Trahan’s guidance, Gazifère enthusiastically welcomed the plan, reaffirming its strong position as a partner in Quebec’s energy security. In the plan, the Government recognizes that achieving the GHG reduction targets will require “optimal complementarity between the electricity and gas systems and reliance on bi-energy, energy efficiency and the use of renewable natural gas (RNG) and other renewable energy sources.” The new measures will help power the most promising prospects, including green hydrogen and RNG — two sources already central to Gazifère’s own greening efforts. With nearly 2% RNG in its system at the time, Gazifère soon followed the Government’s announcement with two of its own projects.
The first came the following month. Gazifère and Evolugen, the Canadian operating business of Brookfield Renewable, announced their collaboration in advancing development and use of green hydrogen production in the Outaouais region. Under it, they’re pooling their expertise over the next several years to develop a hydrogen-based, low-emission energy ecosystem in Quebec and other parts of Canada. Under the agreement, Evolugen and Gazifère seek to carve out a strong position in the fast-growing green hydrogen market.
The momentum continued. Two months later, the two companies announced one of Canada’s largest hydrogen projects for injection into Quebec’s natural gas distribution network. Project plans are well underway to build and operate an approximately 20 MW water electrolysis hydrogen production plant in the Outaouais region.
The plant will be constructed in the Masson sector of the City of Gatineau, adjacent to Evolugen’s hydroelectric facilities which will power the electrolyzer. Estimated capacity is 425,000 GJ of hydrogen which will be injected into Gazifère’s natural gas distribution network. The first of its kind in Canada, the project is to be a ‘win-win’: removing approximately 15,000 metric tons of GHG emissions per year while generating significant local economic benefits like jobs and tax revenues. It’s the first phase of creating a regional green economy ecosystem centred on the production, distribution, and use of green hydrogen.
Jean-Benoit is enthusiastic about the project’s progress. “We are in the engineering assessment phase and have just filed our application,” he says. “The project is moving ahead very well; it should be ready in the next 24 to 36 months.”
But he realizes there are hurdles ahead for such ground-breaking projects. “Hydrogen will be used in different ways,” he says. “It can be injected into the system, but on the other hand the usage of hydrogen in the future will take time because the equipment isn’t yet there. And there will be some competition — a lot of the hydrogen will be used in trucking or flying. We’ll have to supplement it with RNG.” However right now these alternatives are more expensive than traditional natural gas. And “affordability for our customers is important to us.” Getting customers on the right track, Gazifère offers cash incentives to adopt new energy efficiency programs like switching from oil to gas, and use of equipment like smart thermostats and tankless water heaters.
“It’s very important to prepare ourselves for the transition while ensuring our customers have access to reliable and affordable energy 24/7”
Balancing the adoption of visionary transition projects with ongoing consideration for customer affordability will demand lots of innovative and creative thinking and action — just the sort of attributes that Jean-Benoit has in spades.
Graham Chandler spent a decade in energy corporate finance and marketing management. As a full-time freelance writer, he has specialized in energy topics for the past 20 years.