Calgary-based Seven Generations Energy Ltd. has entered into a responsible natural gas supply agreement with Quebec’s main natural gas distributor, Énergir.
The deal is governed by Equitable Origin’s EO100™ Standard for Responsible Energy Development, and is the first transaction executed under the EO100™ framework. The 7G and Energir agreement establishes a new standard for transparency across the value chain.
“Stakeholder service, responsible development and diverse market access are core to our strategy,” said Marty Proctor, President and Chief Executive Officer, Seven Generations Energy.
Proctor added “The collaboration across multiple stakeholder groups and Indigenous communities that led to the Equitable Origin certification and the Énergir responsible natural gas supply transaction, marks a milestone for 7G.”
Énergir says it is working to promote business partnerships with proactive and responsible natural gas producers to ultimately cut its footprint while supply gas to its 525,000 customers.
Stéphanie Trudeau, Executive Vice-President, Quebec, Énergir said “Énergir is committed to actively contribute to the fight against climate change by decarbonizing our activities through numerous actions like promoting energy efficiency, injecting more renewable natural gas in our system.
The two companies say the partnership represents a commitment to increased transparency through the public disclosure of relevant operational information and demonstrates leadership in implementing environmental, social and governance (ESG) best practices.
“This certification and transaction demonstrates our ability to respond to the interests of our stakeholders and paves the way for future opportunities to deliver responsibly developed energy to like-minded companies and customers,” said Proctor.
And the companies say that the use of these best practices will help to cut the environmental impact involved in natural gas development. Énergir says it aims to have approximately 20 per cent of its system gas purchases dedicated to this initiative in the first year.
For its commitment to responsible energy development, Seven Generations has been recognized through the EO100™ certification. The EO100™ Standard was developed according to the stringent requirements of the ISEAL Alliance, a global association that consolidates several leading sustainability standards, including those developed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).
Chris Severson-Baker, Alberta Regional Director, Pembina Institute says 7G’s “certification provides an incentive to produce natural gas at a higher standard than business as usual and offers companies such as Seven Generations a strong competitive advantage as the world decarbonizes.”
Pembina Institute worked as an advisor on more responsible production and procurement practices throughout the certification process. The clean energy think-tank worked with Énergir to identify potential certification frameworks. It also engaged its stakeholders to identify their concerns and recommended the Equitable Origin standard and observed the certification process as a third-party.
Seven Generations was granted the certification after completing a comprehensive and independent assurance process that verified the company’s performance. It recognizes 7G’s commitment to continuous improvement of its sustainable development practices.
“We applaud Seven Generations and Énergir for their leadership, and encourage other companies to follow in their footsteps,” said Severson-Baker.
Soledad Mills, Chief Executive Officer with Equitable Origin said “Seven Generations is a pioneer in their industry for having demonstrated through independent verification that they are not only meeting the stringent requirements of the EO100™ Standard, but also going above and beyond in many areas of social and environmental performance.”
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