Carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) mitigates the effects of climate change by capturing CO2 and then either using it in various manufacturing processes (utilization) or permanently injecting it deep underground (storage). CCUS has been in use for more than 50 years and is proven to be safe and effective. According to the Alberta Energy Regular (AER)—the government body that regulates much of the province’s CCUS activities—approximately 300 million tonnes of CO2 has already been captured and stored underground in the province.
Alberta’s Unique Position
Alberta demonstrates commitment to environmental stewardship. It was the first province in Canada to introduce a climate strategy. Alberta was also the first region in North America to put a price on carbon for large industrial emitters and create an internationally recognized methane emissions reduction framework.
But the CCUS sector is where Alberta is uniquely positioned at the forefront of driving greenhouse gas reductions throughout the CCUS value chain. There are four key factors driving this opportunity for the province to be a global leader in CCUS research and technologies:
- Expertise – Many of the processes, work sites and skills in CCUS align closely with oil and gas, an area that Alberta has a rich history and unparalleled expertise to draw from.
- Infrastructure – The energy-experienced province already has a robust infrastructure to support the development and deployment of CCUS.
- Storage capacity – Alberta has a large storage capacity for CO2, estimated to be over 100 billion tonnes.
- Investment – The province is a global leader in investing in CCUS research and technologies. Over the last 25 years, the Government of Alberta has invested over $200 million through Alberta Innovates and Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA) in more than 100 CCUS projects. Additionally, one of the commitments in Canada’s recently announced Carbon Management Strategy is investment in clean energy technologies, including CCUS. Much of the federal funding will go to Alberta—the province leading the sector’s development. (Source: Alberta Innovates, “Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS): Technology Innovation to Accelerate Broad Deployment in Alberta”, April 2022. https://albertainnovates.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/AI-CCUS-WHITE-PAPER_2022_WEB-1.pdf)
Support for CCUS Innovation and Development
There are many innovative solutions for reducing and capturing emissions. Some come from large and established companies, but many more are being developed by start-ups, which means that a lot of the technology surrounding utilization is new and/or small-scale. In fact, Foresight Canada (see below) reports that Canada “needs 2,000 to 10,000 million tonnes of carbon capture annually to reach net-zero, but over half of the CCUS technology needed is not commercially ready yet.”
Fortunately, Alberta has an extensive network of programs and facilities to pilot those projects and support their commercialization. Some examples include:
- Foresight Canada offers several to aid in the various stages of a technology’s development. Through mentorship, education, industry and investor connections, and networking events, their programs help all Canadian cleantech ventures get to market and scale faster.
- Carbon Management Canada (CMC) enables and supports the deployment of large-scale CCUS projects through innovation and applied research programs and services, with a focus on the validation and integration of storage monitoring technologies. CMC operates two unique facilities to test, develop and demonstrate technologies for CCUS. The organization helps innovators to scale-up and prove their technologies, as well as provides expertise for the design and engineering of CCUS projects.
- Alberta Carbon Conversion Technology Centre (ACCTC) is a unique facility built to research, validate and demonstrate prototypes, and mitigate the risk of carbon capture and utilization technologies. Operated by experienced staff and supported by scientific experts, the ACCTC is also fully equipped for research and development projects.
- Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA) invests in the pilot, demonstration and deployment of clean technology solutions that reduce GHGs, lower costs, attract investment, and create jobs in Alberta. They invest in a diverse portfolio of technologies that will reduce GHG emissions, and help innovators address barriers to commercialization.
NGIF Accelerator Advances Clean Tech Development Through Private Funding
In the fall of 2024, NGIF Accelerator launched a $5 million Cleantech Challenge. A global call for technologies to support emissions reduction across the natural gas value chain in Canada, the challenge offers up to $500,000 per project. That represents as much as 50% of a project’s eligible expenses.
NGIF Accelerator’s funding also provides each finalist access to market through its 14 industry participants, allowing valuable insights from prospective customers and opportunities to demonstrate their technologies at sites specifically related to natural gas production.
Learn more about the NGIF Accelerator Cleantech Challenge.
The non-profit arm of NGIF Capital, NGIF Accelerator’s mandate is to de-risk and accelerate technology development by supporting startups through their pilot projects, field trials, and industry validation.
Source: Government of Alberta website, “Carbon capture, utilization and storage: Alberta is helping fund and support CCUS-related projects and programs.” https://www.alberta.ca/carbon-capture-utilization-and-storage-development-and innovation#:~:text=The%20Quest%20and%20ACTL%20projects,on%20their%202008%20project%20proposals