The Media Room
Natural Resources Canada
2010/45
June 30, 2010
Government of Canada Collaborating with U.S. on Materials Research for Clean Energy
OAK RIDGE, TENNESSEE — The Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of Natural Resources, today announced a collaborative agreement under the Canada–U.S. Clean Energy Dialogue that will focus on clean energy research and development. The agreement will see Natural Resources Canada’s CANMET Materials Technology Laboratory (CANMET-MTL) work with the United States Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) on scientific research in support of materials for clean energy and energy efficiency. One element of the collaborative research will focus on developing advanced materials and processing technologies that will aid in reducing the weight of vehicles, thereby improving fuel economy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
“The Government of Canada is committed to supporting and promoting clean energy science and technology,” said Minister Paradis. “This partnership will help us shape the next generation of technologies for fuel-efficient vehicles and clean energy sources, reducing the impact on the environment and enhancing the competitiveness of sectors such as the automotive industry in North America.”
“Achieving the goal of sustainable mobility requires a variety of advances in science and technology with a particular focus on advanced materials,” said Thom Mason, Director of ORNL. “Researchers at ORNL look forward to working with their colleagues at CANMET-MTL to deliver innovations that will move us toward this goal.”
CANMET-MTL is the largest research centre in Canada devoted to metals and materials fabrication, processing and evaluation. Its scientific and technical staff provide materials solutions for Canadian industry in the energy, transportation and metals-manufacturing sectors. The laboratory will be relocating from Ottawa to a new state-of-the-art research facility in Hamilton this fall, which will benefit this collaboration due to the close proximity to southern Ontario’s automotive and metal-manufacturing industries.
The Clean Energy Dialogue was established between Canada and the United States by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and President Barack Obama in February 2009. Its objective is to enhance joint collaboration on clean energy science and technologies in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change.
FOR BROADCAST USE:
A collaborative research agreement under the Canada–U.S. Clean Energy Dialogue was announced today by Natural Resources Minister Christian Paradis. Canada’s CANMET Materials Technology Laboratory will work with Tennessee’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory on a range of advanced materials applications supporting clean energy, such as lightweight materials to reduce the weight of vehicles for increased fuel economy and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
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