The federal government will inject $ 21.5 million into five projects for the capture and storage of carbon dioxide emissions in Alberta. The decision marks a desire to act quickly on the ground despite the uncertainty that surrounds major industrial projects in the bituminous sands.
The announcement was made by the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Tim Hodgson, at the Interction of Natural gas from Inter Pipeline in Cochrane, one of the sites that will benefit from this funding.
The time we followed the others is over. If other countries choose not to direct, Canada will do so,
launched the minister, calling for an ambitious and sovereign action.
Target efficiency
The flagship project of this envelope is led by Bow Valley Carbon, a joint venture between Inter Pipeline and Entropy. It will receive $ 10 million to install a detailed carbon capture system.
This device should make it possible to withdraw 40,000 tonnes of COâ‚‚ from the atmosphere each year, the equivalent of 12,000 cars withdrawn from the road.
Other funded initiatives include:
- $ 4 million in Enbridge to explore new underground storage tanks in Wabamun;
- $ 5 million at Enhance Energy to test capture in little used geological training;
- $ 500,000 to Opticis Solutions, which develops tools to improve monitoring of storage sites;
- More than $ 2 million at Occam’s Technologies, which experiences the capture of the COâ‚‚ issued by diesel engines, with possible applications in rail, maritime and road transport.
Ottawa examines a series of projects deemed national interest which could be the subject of an accelerated regulatory process according to the new provisions of the environmental law.
Photo : Radio-Canada
A immobility
These more targeted investments contrast strongly with the immobility surrounding the megaprojet of the new way alliance, a consortium which brings together six of the largest producers of bituminous sand in the province.
Estimated at $ 16.5 billion, this project aims to capture emissions of more than 20 industrial installations and transport them by pipeline over 400 kilometers to a storage site in Cold Lake.
But so far, no investment decision has been made and the support of federal and provincial governments remains vague.
Climate ambition and economic growth
Tim Hodgson clearly exposed the vision of Ottawa: making Canada a world leader in clean technologies while supporting sustainable economic growth. He praised Alberta’s contribution to this ambition, which he describes as an essential engine to reconcile innovation, employment and climate.
The Minister affirms that these projects demonstrate that it is possible to develop the energy industry while reducing emissions, provided they take action quickly, with coordination and ambition.
With Canadian press information
