Alberta invests $55M in emissions reduction projects

Key Takeaways:

• Alberta’s government is funding 15 projects through the TIER program and Emissions Reduction Alberta to develop and implement technologies that create jobs, lower costs, and reduce emissions across various industries.
• Key projects include thermal energy reuse in wastewater treatment, low-emission cement production, AI-driven reforestation, plastic recycling, and methane leak prevention in oil and gas wells. Each project receives between $500,000 and $10 million.
• The funded projects are expected to cut 119,000 tonnes of emissions annually, with a total reduction of 2.2 million tonnes by 2050, while creating nearly 1,600 jobs and adding $237 million to Alberta’s GDP by 2027.

The Whole Story:

Alberta’s government announced it is investing $55 million to help businesses develop technologies that create jobs, lower costs and reduce emissions.

The money comes from the industry-funded TIER program to help industries, big and small, test and implement the technologies they need to keep leading the world. Delivered through Emissions Reduction Alberta, this funding will help 15 projects develop cutting-edge technologies that could one day be used across Canada and around the world.

This funding will support projects across the economy, including the energy, newsprint, cement, water treatment, dairy and forestry sectors. In total, $46 million will go to 12 projects through Emissions Reduction Alberta’s Industrial Transformation Challenge, with an additional $8.7 million invested in three projects approved through the Partnership Intake Program.

Funding ranges from $500,000 to $10 million for each project. There are the ones related to the industrial sector:

• $7.45 million to help the City of Calgary install a first-in-Alberta and second-in-Canada technology to use thermal energy at the Fish Creek wastewater treatment plant.
• $4 million to help Lafarge Canada explore using calcined clay in cement products, lowering the overall emission intensity of cement while maintaining strength.
• $3.7 million to help Flash Forest Inc. advance a proof-of-concept that uses drones, AI-based site selection software and ecological science to speed up and improve tree planting and reforestation. 
• $2 million to help Merlin Plastics develop a commercial-scale operation that will divert hard-to-recycle plastics from landfills or incineration.
• $700,000 to help TS-Nano Canada test a new product that will more effectively seal oil and gas wells, reducing potential methane leaks and reducing operational costs.

These projects are estimated to reduce 119,000 tonnes of emissions each year, 394,000 tonnes of emissions by 2030, and more than 2.2 million tonnes of emissions by 2050. Officials say they could create almost 1,600 jobs and inject $237 million into Alberta’s GDP by 2027.

Emissions Reduction Alberta’s Partnership Intake Program acts as a catalyst to de-risk and deploy novel technology solutions by giving applicants the opportunity to leverage funding from both Emissions Reduction Alberta and trusted partner organizations.

Industrial Transformation Challenge applicants and their technologies can originate from anywhere in the world, but projects must be piloted, demonstrated or deployed in Alberta and show significant emissions reduction and economic benefits within the province.  

Successful applicants are eligible for up to $10 million per project, with a minimum request of $500,000. Funding received through the Industrial Transformation Challenge will match private contributions on a one-to-one basis.