TORONTO (miningweekly.com) – Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Friday announced support for 55 innovative new projects aimed at producing and using energy in a cleaner, more efficient way.
This support was being provided through the Canadian government’s ecoENERGY Innovation Initiative, which was introduced in Budget 2011, and was being led by Natural Resources Canada.
“Our government is positioning Canada as a global leader in the clean energy sector by supporting innovative projects across the country aimed at producing and using energy in a cleaner and more efficient way. The research and development (R&D) generated by the projects being announced today will also maintain and create jobs, while benefiting the environment,” the Prime Minister said.
Of the 55 projects receiving support, 15 would be pre-commercialisation demonstration projects to test the feasibility of various technologies, and 40 would be R&D projects to address knowledge gaps and bring technologies from the conceptual stage to the ready-to-be-tested stage of development.
The projects would be undertaken in seven provinces and two territories and would focus on research in the areas of energy efficiency; clean electricity and renewables; bioenergy; electrification of transportation; and unconventional oil and gas.
Prime Minister Harper met with representatives of several of the companies receiving funding, including CO2 Solutions and AddÉnergie Technologies, both based in Quebec City.
CO2 Solutions was receiving funding to support the R&D of an innovative method to more efficiently capture carbon dioxide in the oil sands, and AddÉnergie was receiving support for the development of its electrical vehicle-charging infrastructure.
TSX-V-listed CO2 Solutions, an innovator in the field of enzyme-enabled carbon capture technology, hosted the Prime Minister and other top government officials for the official announcement of a $4.7-million grant from Natural Resources Canada to CO2 Solutions.
The company said the grant, first announced in January, would support the development and piloting of CO2 Solutions' carbon capture technology in the Alberta oil sands. The Prime Minister toured the company's facilities in Quebec City where initial work on the project was being conducted.
CO2 Solutions is developing carbon capture technology for use in oil sands production, including in-position methods such as steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD), and bitumen upgrading.
Results from the pilot project would also support the broader application of the company’s technology in other natural gas combustion sources, such as gas-fired power plants.
"The Alberta oil sands industry is a vital economic engine for Canada, but also represents about 20% of our country's carbon emissions. We are developing a cost-effective technology to address this critical environmental challenge facing the oil sands.
“We are honoured that the Prime Minister would take the time to tour our facilities and are pleased that the government of Canada is supporting advanced clean energy technologies that will contribute to the responsible development of Canada's energy resources,” president and CEO Glenn Kelly said on Friday.