The Minister for Trade and Development, Joe Costello TD, travelled to Alberta, Canada in June on an Enterprise Ireland trade mission targeting Canada’s natural resources (oil and gas) industry organised with the support of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Embassy of Ireland to Canada.
15 companies travelled with the Minister from the Engineering, Construction, Technology and Recruitment sectors. The objectives of the trade mission were to build on the strong trade links between Ireland and Canada, and promote the capabilities of Irish companies to the natural resources industry in Alberta.
Canada has the third largest known oil reserves in the world and is currently the sixth largest global oil producer. Aggregated numbers indicate that Canada is on track towards production of over five million barrels of oil per day by 2022 which would move the country from the world’s sixth largest producer to the fourth largest. To achieve these numbers over the next 10 years, owners will be investing significantly in capital projects – presenting major opportunities for innovative companies servicing all aspects of the sector.
During the three-day visit to Calgary and Edmonton, two Enterprise Ireland client companies announced details of significant wins: PM Group and Calgary-based company, Gas Liquids Engineering (GLE) signed a new international enterprise agreement which will help open new markets and develop new business in the gas processing industry in Europe and around the world. PM Group and GLE have been working together since 2012 when they signed an agreement to provide engineering services in the gas processing industry in Canada. The alliance has strengthened PM Group’s presence in a very important segment of the energy market.
Decisions [D4H] announced details of a lucrative five-year contract with the Government of Alberta, Canada for their innovative software which improves vital emergency response efforts. Decisions [D4H] whose mission it is to ‘Save Lives’ by improving how response teams are managed, will provide its software to 40 Canadian Search & Rescue (SAR) teams in Alberta. These SAR teams serve a population of almost four million across a landmass over seven times the size of Ireland. The software, which was created in Ireland, allows SAR teams to manage their incidents, personnel and equipment, and submit reports to Alberta’s Provincial Government for the creation of shared statistics. Brendan Flood, Divisional Manager with Enterprise Ireland, who accompanied Minister Costello on the trade mission commented:
‘Canada’s natural resources industry offers enormous potential for ambitious Irish companies to establish themselves and grow export sales. The opportunities for export growth are in sectors where Enterprise Ireland’s client companies are strong performers. The 26% growth in exports to Canada by Enterprise Ireland client companies in 2012 clearly demonstrates that there are significant, tangible opportunities for increased trade and partnerships between Irish and Canadian companies.’
