The University of Calgary will be receiving $4.3 million in federal funding for three carbon management projects that aim to reduce pollution, a move the federal government says will bolster the province’s oil and gas industry.
The funding comes from the Energy Innovation Program’s Carbon Capture Screen, which supports research and development into carbon capture technologies. It is also part of a $13.5 million funding package for projects at the University of Alberta, InnoTech Alberta Inc. in Calgary and Ionada Calgary.
The three projects at the University of Calgary include research and development into improving assessments of carbon management technologies, enhancing carbon capture data, and developing new carbon capture technologies to manage emissions from the steel industry.
“These technologies have wide-ranging commercial applications and will significantly reduce the cost of [carbon capture and storage], which is a must if we want to ensure the competitiveness of the technologies in the world that is racing to seize the opportunities,” federal Energy Minister John Wilkinson said at a news conference at the University of Calgary on Wednesday.
“These investments will allow Alberta’s companies to continue leading way in terms of carbon capture innovation by turning emissions into opportunity, carbon capture transports pollution into progress, paving the way for a cleaner and more prosperous future.”
Wilkinson added the funding is part of the federal government’s goal to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, which became law in June 2021.
“On the one hand, we could choose to bury our heads in the sand and pretend that the world is not increasingly seeing the costs and the tragedies of climate impact, an approach that will create uncertainty and drive away economic investment and well-paying jobs,” he said.
“This, unfortunately, is the path thus far that has been chosen by the opposition in this country, the absence of any recognition of the reality of climate change and the absence of any kind of economic plan that is focused on seizing economic opportunities of a low carbon future, something our allies and certainly our competitors like China have long ago figured out, represents a grave threat to Canada’s future economic competitiveness and its prosperity.”
George Shimizu, a chemistry professor at the University of Calgary, told reporters at Wednesday’s news conference the funding will help address key challenges when conducting large scale research. The steel industry contributes eight per cent of local greenhouse gas emissions and the findings from the research will capture several thousand tons of carbon monoxide from factories, he said.
He added the research will have broader implications for clean energy in Alberta and for Albertans.
“The learnings from this will absolutely translate to broader heat harmonization efforts that are piloted in Alberta and giving all Albertans cleaner energy,” he said.
Joule Bergeson, a professor at the University of Calgary’s Schulich School of Engineering, said the funding will help advance carbon management technologies and inform future decisions about energy and climate change in Canada.
“This work will provide the robust foundation needed for policymakers and industry leaders to make informed decisions about which carbon dioxide removal pathways can best support Canadian and global net zero goals,” she said at Wednesday’s news conference.
“These insights will be instrumental in guiding decisions that maximize innovation while minimizing unintended consequences, ensuring a balanced strategic approach to the development and potential deployment of such technologies.”
