Unceded Anishinaabe Algonquin Territories [OTTAWA], 28 July 2026:
Last week, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to advance Maritime regional electricity cooperation and system integration — marking an important step towards a deeper regional electricity system.
The agreement between the three provinces establishes a process to develop a transmission roadmap, exploring how greater coordination of electricity planning, transmission, generation and emerging energy resources can strengthen the region’s energy system. It also opens the door to exploring new approaches to regional grid operations, including the potential for a Maritime Independent System Operator.
While the final model is yet to be developed, the MOU represents a meaningful shift toward breaking down provincial silos and finding new ways to improve reliability, make smarter infrastructure investments, and build a stronger electricity system for the region.
This is a part of a broader wave of cooperation among the premiers from the national energy corridor agreement, now signed by every province except Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador, to this week’s long-awaited federal funding for additional subsea transmission capacity between New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.
Together, these efforts reflect a growing recognition that meeting rising electricity demands will require not only new clean energy projects, but greater collaboration on how we plan, build, and operate the grid.
“This is exactly the kind of nation-building Canada should be racing toward,” said Ami Gagné, Manager, Clean Projects Initiatives at Climate Action Network Canada. “The Maritime provinces deserve real credit for exploring what could be the first-of-its-kind model for deeper regional grid cooperation in Canada. This is what a modern grid can look like: regional, connected, and built for growth that doesn’t compromise our climate future. Regional grid integration is one of the fastest, most cost-effective ways to get more renewable energy actually connected and delivering power.”
“Affordability, reliability, and sustainability all point in the same direction. The federal government has set the ambition, and provinces are showing they are ready to build together to achieve Canada’s goal of doubling grid capacity by 2050. The next test is the federal budget: will it provide the scale of investment needed to turn this momentum into the infrastructure Canada needs?”
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Canada’s farthest-reaching network of organizations working on climate and energy issues, Climate Action Network – Réseau action climat (CAN-Rac) Canada is a coalition of close to 200 organizations operating from coast to coast to coast. Our membership brings environmental groups together with trade unions, First Nations, social justice, development, health and youth organizations, faith groups and local, grassroots initiatives.
For more information or to arrange an interview, contact:
Audrey Robillard, Bilingual Communications Coordinator
audreyrobillard@climateactionnetwork.ca