New Acre™ Project Releases Report Demonstrating Bruce Power Investment Delivers on Carbon Reduction Targets

Issued by Bruce Power’s Carbon Offset Coalition, the $1M investment is funding grassroots farmer-delivered nature-based climate solutions to reduce carbon emissions and enhance biodiversity, water quality and wildlife habitat through ALUS’ New Acre Project.

In its first year, the investment has supported 20 local farmers in Grey and Bruce Counties in creating 220 acres of nature-based projects, like native grasslands, wetlands and tree and shrub plantings. These year-one projects are expected to sequester 2,737 tonnes of CO₂ emissions over five years. By year three, Bruce Power will have supported farmers in creating a total of 600 acres of new nature that will sequester an estimated 4,500-6,000 tonnes of CO₂while also helping deliver outreach and engagement activities within the agricultural community to increase environmental awareness and motivate climate action.  

“Bruce Power is pleased to work with ALUS to advance New Acre Project locally on farmland across Bruce and Grey Counties,” says Danielle LaCroix, Senior Director, Sustainability and Net Zero at Bruce Power. “At Bruce Power, our environmental and social principles are core to the work we do and the partnerships we form. Investing in community-led, farmer-delivered nature-based projects has already shown tremendous success and we’re looking forward to continued progress and innovation in the years ahead.”

Investing in farmer-delivered nature-based solutions is part of Bruce Power’s Road Map to Net Zero. The Road Map is a multi-faceted strategy designed to lead Bruce Power to net zero emissions by 2027 through a variety of actions related to clean energy, green financing, local decarbonization and carbon offsets. Bruce Power is the first nuclear operator in North America to announce a commitment of this kind.

The New Acre Project investment is delivered by Bruce Power’s Carbon Offset Coalition, a collaboration between Bruce Power and the Nuclear Innovation Institute. It will support a total of 600 acres of nature-based projects over three years, which will generate carbon credits that can be used to offset Bruce Power’s on-site emissions where reductions are not feasible.

“We know that there is no silver bullet when it comes to fighting climate change. It will require a host of solutions including electricity produced from non-emitting sources, like nuclear, nature-based solutions and more,” says Chad Richards, Director of New Nuclear & Net Zero Partnerships at the Nuclear Innovation Institute. “New Acre Project allows us to bring two significant drivers of the local Grey-Bruce economy, energy and agriculture, together in the fight against climate change.”

New Acre Project is delivered by ALUS, the leading not-for-profit in Canada helping farmers build nature-based solutions on their land to support stronger, more resilient communities. Through New Acre Project, ALUS connects corporations with opportunities to support community-based, farmer-led initiatives to enhance biodiversity and produce ecosystem services, like carbon sequestration and water filtration and retention.

Bruce Power and the Nuclear Innovation Institute (NII) have also been collaborating with ALUS in the development of a transparent and science-based carbon quantification workplan to enhance the estimation of carbon outputs associated with nature-based projects.

“Bruce Power is a tremendous supporter of Grey-Bruce farmers creating grasslands, forests and wetlands to capture and store carbon,” says Katherine Balpataky, Senior Director of Corporate Partnerships at ALUS. “As the first nuclear operator in North America to announce a net-zero commitment and a development partner of ALUS’ carbon quantification and credit issuance plan, Bruce Power is using their technical expertise and leadership to help drive the low carbon economy for Ontario and all Canadians.”

In 2022, ALUS’ carbon quantification and credit issuance plan received a significant boost from Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC). The SDTC investment has helped ALUS pursue a highly innovative quantification technology pilot in Grey and Bruce Counties with Albo Climate. The pilot involves deploying Albo’s remote sensing and machine learning solutions to enhance quantification of tree and shrub projects across the two counties and has immense potential to scale and create transparency across a variety of nature-based climate solutions.

“SDTC is proud to partner with ALUS as they work to develop leading-edge quantification metrics for nature-based solutions. This work has the potential to provide a better understanding of the sustainability impacts these solutions bring, benefiting the local ecosystems and surrounding communities,” says Zoe Kolbuc, Vice President Ecosystems, SDTC.

Read the full report.

About ALUS and New Acre™ Project 

ALUS (originally an acronym for Alternative Land Use Services) is a national charitable organization that provides expertise, resources, and direct financial support to 38 communities across six provinces where more than 1,600 farmers and ranchers establish and steward nature-based solutions on their land. These solutions deliver ecosystem services to help sustain agriculture and fight climate change and biodiversity loss for the benefit of communities and future generations. Projects such as enhanced wetlands, windbreaks, riparian buffer zones, wildlife habitats, adaptive agricultural practices and other impactful environmental solutions produce cleaner air, cleaner water, greater biodiversity, carbon sequestration, erosion control, flood and drought mitigation, pollinator and wildlife habitat, and other ecological services. 

New Acre™ Project, delivered by ALUS, helps purpose-driven corporations invest in nature-based solutions on agricultural land that generate positive environmental, economic and social outcomes in the communities where they operate—one acre at a time. By investing in New Acre Project, corporations can strategically allocate capital and customize their impact. Each New Acre investment delivers tangible, reliable and measurable outcomes by empowering farmers and ranchers to produce ecosystem goods and services, like carbon sequestration, water filtration and enhanced habitat, that increase biodiversity and help build climate resilience. 

About Bruce Power

Bruce Power is an electricity company based in Bruce County, Ontario. We are powered by our people. Our 4,200 employees are the foundation of our accomplishments and are proud of the role they play in safely delivering clean, reliable, low-cost nuclear power to families and businesses across the province and life-saving medical isotopes around the world. Bruce Power has worked hard to build strong roots in Ontario and is committed to protecting the environment and supporting the communities in which we live. Formed in 2001, Bruce Power is a Canadian-owned partnership of TC Energy, OMERS, the Power Workers’ Union and The Society of United Professionals. Learn more at www.brucepower.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

The Nuclear Innovation Institute (NII) seeks to accelerate the pace of innovation in Canada’s energy industry and is a champion for opportunities that help students and adults embrace new knowledge and gain the tools they will need to make positive change in their communities and the world.

Learn more at nii.ca and join the conversation on Twitter (@OntarioNII), on LinkedIn (Nuclear Innovation Institute) and on Facebook (@OntarioNII).