GDF SUEZ : Discover energy services and renewable energy with GDF SUEZ in Canada

With his mellifluous Quebec accent, it's William Chenard, Airport Services Operations Manager at Cofely Services in Montreal, who presents this special edition. In Canada, the challenges of the energy transition are very much front-of-mind. So what do Canadians want? To produce better, consume less and preserve their exceptional natural resources! GDF SUEZ contributes to achieving these challenges with a presence across the energy chain and 900 staff covering the whole of Canada.

Have you heard of the Caisse des Dépôts et Placements du Québec building? It's one of the most modern in the country! Cofely Services takes care of its maintenance and repair. Most importantly, the company is responsible for the comfort of the 2,000 people who work here, and for optimizing the building's energy consumption… That's a real challenge when you appreciate that temperatures here can fall as low as -30°C! But it's a challenge that's been successfully achieved, because Caisse des Dépôts et Placements du Québec has reduced its energy bills by 23% since 2005.

Continue the tour by discovering the latest Cofely Services innovation: the U-drop system at Montreal Airport. This scanner-equipped interface allows passengers to check-in their own hold baggage. This self-service point is the first of its kind in any North American airport. Fast and easy to use, it's popular not only with passengers, but also with airport managers, because it makes check-in procedures - and therefore costs - easier to manage. In fact, U-drop is so successful, it will soon be installed in the airports of Paris.

This issue of the magazine closes with a visit to the Canadian wind power industry. Over the past 6 years, GDF SUEZ has invested $2 billion here and developed 10 wind farms and 2 the photovoltaic fields, establishing the Group as one of the country's leading renewable energy operators, with plans to develop further into hydroelectric, biomass and other power generating sources. This development has been made possible largely by the Green Energy Act introduced to promote the development of these energy sources throughout the country. Today, 62.5% of Canadian electricity comes from renewable sources, and the government has set itself the target of increasing that proportion to 90% by 2020.