Emissions Reduction Alberta is investing nearly $51 million in a new group of projects designed to cut greenhouse gas emissions while supporting economic growth across the province.
The funding will support 16 projects with a combined value of nearly $180 million. Capital is being provided through Alberta’s industry-funded Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction program, better known as TIER.
The newly funded projects span carbon capture, hydrogen, methane management, critical minerals, nuclear fuel, advanced manufacturing, agriculture, transportation, and resource efficiency.
“Every project announced today is an investment in Alberta’s future economy,” said Emissions Reduction Alberta chief executive officer Justin Riemer.
The largest award is going to Vancouver-based Svante Technologies, which will receive $7 million toward a carbon capture project at Mercer’s pulp mill in Peace River.
The $25.9-million project will use Svante’s solid-sorbent filters to capture approximately 500,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, demonstrating the technology’s potential to deliver permanent carbon removal within the pulp and paper industry.
Winnipeg’s EnerPure will receive $6.2 million toward a $30.6-million facility that will recycle used motor oil into a lower-carbon, low-sulphur marine fuel.
Two other initiatives will receive $5 million each.
The County of Newell will develop the Brooks Newell Hydrogen Hub in southeast Alberta. The $13.3-million project will combine vehicle retrofits, electrolytic hydrogen production, and refuelling infrastructure to stimulate both hydrogen supply and demand.
Northiana Energy Solutions will use its award to demonstrate Continuous Multilayered Encapsulation technology, which is designed to improve the transportation of bitumen through existing pipelines.
Other investments include $3.4 million for Quantiam Technologies to convert captured carbon dioxide and clean hydrogen into lower-emissions methanol, as well as $3 million for Azolla Hydrogen to deploy a methanol-to-hydrogen fuelling system and rapid-deployment station.
Alberta-based Qube Technologies will receive $2.55 million to expand its continuous emissions-monitoring platform, helping industrial operators detect, measure, and reduce methane and other greenhouse gas emissions.
VulcanX Energy will receive $2.5 million to demonstrate a methane-pyrolysis reactor that produces low-emission hydrogen and solid carbon. FulcrumAir, meanwhile, will receive $1.5 million to deploy electric, drone-hoisted robots for power-line work normally performed by helicopters and bucket trucks.
The portfolio also includes projects targeting lithium refining, lower-carbon concrete, soil remediation, agricultural residues, alternative animal feed, asphalt production, and domestic nuclear-fuel processing.
Athabasca Asphalt Company and Loon River First Nation will receive $2.26 million to construct a facility that produces asphalt binder from Alberta bitumen using a process that eliminates water use and simplifies conventional production.
Mangrove Lithium will receive just over $3 million to investigate the use of a lithium-processing byproduct as a supplementary cement material. Chemshift Technologies will receive $359,000 to pilot a refining system capable of upgrading crude lithium carbonate into battery-grade material.
Nucleon Fuel will use a $1.5-million award to evaluate a proposed facility that would convert Canadian-mined uranium concentrate into uranium hexafluoride, an important input for nuclear-fuel production.
ERA estimates the 16 projects could collectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 117,700 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2030. They are also projected to generate 1,556 person-years of employment and contribute approximately $250 million to Alberta’s gross domestic product.
Since 2009, ERA has committed approximately $1.22 billion to 368 projects valued at more than $11.5 billion. The organization estimates its funded portfolio could reduce cumulative emissions by 28.1 million tonnes by 2030 and 83.4 million tonnes by 2050.