Alberta announces close to $50M funding for 23 clean technology projects

CALGARY — The province announced nearly $50 million in funding Wednesday to be designated towards 23 projects that advance clean energy innovation.

The approved projects, part of the province's Alberta Innovates Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) program, will address oil and gas, hydrogen expansion, partial upgrading, recycling, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and more.

Alberta Innovates estimates that the 23 projects will create 1,307 jobs, and inject $169 million into the provincial economy.

“These projects aim to reduce emissions, reduce water use, increase value, decrease costs and manage waste through new technologies and processes. The TIER program uses cleantech to create a cleaner environment and improve industry competitiveness to build a better path forward for Alberta," said Alberta Innovates CEO Laura Kilcrease in a release.

Steve Liang, the chief technology officer for SensorUp said, “Methane emissions represent a monumental threat to our climate. SensorUp is pleased to announce it has received funding through Alberta Innovates to tackle one of the most pressing issues facing the oil and gas sector: improving the efficiency, quality and safety of methane leak detection and repair.”

"Alberta Innovates is building on our strengths by supporting ground-breaking discoveries and commercializing innovative solutions Alberta – and the world – needs," said Doug Schweitzer, Alberta Jobs, Economy and Innovation minister.

NDP RESPONDS

Alberta NDP Jobs, Economy and Innovation critic Deron Bilous issued a statement in response to the funding announcement.

“The UCP likes to talk about the importance of innovation, but their record tells a different story," Bilous said.

“Upon coming into office, the UCP declared economic diversification a luxury and cut programs designed to support innovation in clean tech."

“The UCP has cut Alberta Innovates by $26 million since coming into office, cancelled the Alberta Investor Tax Credit and Interactive Digital Media Tax Credit that attracted investment for tech startups, and cut $700 million from post-secondary institutions across the province - the main drivers of cutting edge research and innovation in Alberta.

“While the UCP now touts the importance of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors in order to attract investment, Jason Kenney once called it ‘the flavour of the month’ and it’s unclear what their ESG secretariat has done to date. Meanwhile, the UCP still hasn't committed to achieving net-zero by 2050 - a commitment that international investors are looking for.”