Initiative aims to expand international cooperation and attract Brazilian partners to sectors such as batteries, green hydrogen, and transportation electrification

By Pedro Augusto

Quebec’s energy transition program, created in 2023 by the provincial government, is already showing concrete results by aligning climate policy, industrial innovation, and public-private investment. Known as the Vallée de la Transition Énergétique (Energy Transition Valley), the initiative has transformed regions such as Bécancour, Trois-Rivières, and Shawinigan into integrated hubs for research, production, and logistics focused on clean technologies. Through these efforts, the Quebec government has consolidated advances across the project’s three core pillars—batteries, green hydrogen, and electrification—and is now looking to expand international cooperation, with the goal of attracting Brazilian companies to complement its value chain and develop joint projects.

This ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) strategy was widely discussed during the panel Sustainable Development and Internationalization: Connections Between São Paulo and Quebec, held at the Brazil-Canada Summit 2025 by the Chamber of Commerce Brazil-Canada (CCBC) in early November, with support from SP Negócios, the Institute for Technological Research of the State of São Paulo (IPT), Fundação Armando Alvares Penteado (FAAP), and the Government of Canada.

During the session, experts highlighted that cooperation among subnational governments has become key to accelerating climate goals. João Mariano Lobato, Economic Affairs Advisor for the Quebec Office in São Paulo, stated that “those who believe subnational actors do not have an important role in this discussion remain too tied to a state-centric view of international relations.”

He emphasized that Quebec will only be able to meet its targets—such as reducing emissions by 37.5% by 2030 and reaching carbon neutrality by 2050—through technical cooperation. “Brazilian companies can help Quebec in this energy transition, and companies from Quebec, which have already found solutions, can bring those examples to Brazil,” he said.

São Paulo’s Contribution

São Paulo represents a natural counterpart to this dialogue. With results such as 1,000 electric buses and roughly 100,000 trees planted in 2024, the city has presented urban and state-level policies aligned with Quebec’s agenda. André Aleotti, Executive Manager of International Business at São Paulo Negócios, highlighted the city’s potential during the event: “The international public has no real sense of what the city of São Paulo is and the potential we have here for the development of sustainable economic policies.”

According to him, the city already operates “at the forefront” of climate innovation, combining technology, services, and environmental regulation. At the same time, the discussion revealed that no Brazilian companies have yet established operations in the Energy Transition Valley (ETV), reinforcing that this cooperation is still in its formative stage.

The expectation is that COP30, held in Belém, will help drive this dialogue and create the conditions for partnerships to materialize, especially in sectors such as batteries, critical minerals, artificial intelligence, hydrogen, and carbon capture—areas in which Canada and Brazil have complementary strengths.

With a total investment of 328 million Canadian dollars—more than R$ 1 billion—the ETV has consolidated the infrastructure and tripartite model that supports it. The next step, according to the Quebec government, is to internationalize the ecosystem and expand technological exchange with strategic countries. Integration with Brazil will depend on the capacity to create support mechanisms.

According to Gabriel Poli, Internationalization Manager at the Institute for Technological Research of the State of São Paulo (IPT), São Paulo and other Brazilian cities have considerable opportunities to bring technology abroad. “We have the chance to jointly develop technology for application elsewhere, in addition to facilitating the flow of companies moving in and out of the country.”