The Alberta government has announced $70 million in funding through its Oil Sands Innovation Challenge to help oilsands producers reduce emissions.
On Tuesday, the province said nine projects were selected from a list of 47 submissions by industry. They are expected to reduce emissions by more than four million tonnes per year by 2030.
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“We’ve got partial upgrading technology, new water-treatment processes and materials and enhanced bitumen-recovery technologies,” Environment Minister Shannon Phillips said.
“They will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and they will reduce costs for producers.”
The funding is provided by the government’s Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA), an organization designed to encourage development of emissions-reducing technologies.
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The projects were selected based on their ability to advance innovative technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at a competitive cost.
“This is about growing production while reducing emissions and costs. That means getting top dollar in return for our oil, which will help secure the industry’s long term success and build an economy to last,” Energy Minister Margaret McCuaig-Boyd said.
The government said the funding will generate more than $720 million for Alberta’s oilsands sector.
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