The Government of Alberta is investing $28 million to advance technology to reduce carbon emissions and improve the provincial energy sector’s environmental performance.
The projects span renewable natural gas and methane reduction in agriculture to safer pipeline infrastructure and more efficient resource recovery.
The investment was announced on Thursday in Coaldale, Alta., by representatives of the provincial government and Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA), a provincial organization focused on providing funding to reduce emissions and enhance Alberta’s environment and ecosystems. The money comes from the Technology, Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) fund, a provincial fund made up of revenues from carbon pricing on large emitters.
ERA announced six initial projects that will be funded, stemming from its annual Industrial Transformation Challenge, a competition designed to strengthen competitiveness and sustainability in Alberta’s industrial and natural resource sectors.
Projects encompass a range of technologies, including efforts to improve oil recovery efficiency, pipeline safety, natural gas emissions capture, and renewable natural gas production from agricultural byproducts.
“These investments reflect the momentum of emission-reducing technologies across Alberta,” Justin Riemer, the CEO of ERA, said in a release. “From renewable natural gas and methane reduction in agriculture to safer pipeline infrastructure and more efficient resource recovery.”
Individual investment varies from $625,000 to $12 million per project.
ERA estimates that if these six projects are successful, they will reduce greenhouse gas emissions of 72,000 tonnes of CO2 annually and produce $166.5 million in gross domestic product for Alberta by 2027.
A list of funded projects include:
Central Farms RNG LTD.
Development of a facility converting agricultural byproduct into renewable natural gas and soil additives. Coaldale, Alta. | $10,000,000
Pilot ArmorFoamTM technology enhancing oil recovery performance. Calgary | $1,550,000
Development of methane reduction from livestock. Edmonton | $2,800,000
Total Containment Inc.
Advancement of technology to prevent ductile running fractures in CO2 pipelines in support of future carbon capture utilization and storage. Suffield, Alta. | $625,000
Testing on carbon capture technology on compressor engines at the Banshee Gas Plant. Yellowhead County, Alta. | $12,000,000
University of Calgary
Advancing electrokinetic remediation for inactive oil and gas sites. Leduc County, Alta. | $750,000
BetaKit’s Prairies reporting is funded in part by YEGAF, a not-for-profit dedicated to amplifying business stories in Alberta.
Feature image courtesy Unsplash. Photo by Stijn te Strake.