Monitoring and Evaluation for a resilient electricity sector

The Government of Canada released its first National Adaptation Strategy in 2023, where protection of critical infrastructure is a major focus. As the urgency for adaptation grows, the energy sector needs to develop clear frameworks for prioritizing actions and investments, monitoring their implementation, and assessing their results and impacts. The purpose of this project is to frame the role of adaptation monitoring and evaluation (M&E) in building the resilience of the Canadian electricity sector to climate change impacts.

• Review the key climate change-related risks for the Canadian electricity sector and the evolving adaptation policy landscape in Canada.

• Define the characteristics of a climate resilient energy sector and the contributions that adaptation M&E can make to achieving desired outcomes.

• Detail the building blocks of adaptation M&E.

• Survey emerging practices in adaptation M&E within the electricity sector across key countries

• Identify directions for future work on adaptation M&E in the electricity sector

Conduct a literature review using Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, as well as a database review of major international organizations working within the energy and climate change sectors.

The report provides insight on the current state of practice for the use of adaptation monitoring and evaluation among governments and electricity utilities:

• National monitoring and evaluation frameworks are in varying stages of maturity: countries use a variety of approaches and indicators to operationalize adaptation plans and strategies.

• Among Canadian electricity utilities, adaptation monitoring and evaluation is still in early stages and is commonly integrated into existing procedures for sustainability and ESG reporting.

• Ambiguity remains around tracking and reporting on the financial implications of adaptation-relevant decisions, connecting performance outcomes with adaptation investments, and standardization of scenario analysis and performance metrics in public reporting.

• Most adaptation monitoring and evaluation is currently oriented around public reporting and accountability, further work remains to identify opportunities for integrating learning into internal decision-making processes.

This topic under study is funded by the Government of Quebec and meets the objectives of the Plan pour une économie verte 2030.

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