The provincial government announced a burst of funding for three emission reduction projects in Alberta on Wednesday.
A total of $10 million will be handed out to three different groups that are running projects aiming to improve emissions in Alberta, including using artificial intelligence capabilities.
The funding is a part of the government’s Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) program, which launched earlier this year.
“These programs will help industry identify, track, measure and ultimately reduce emissions,” Environment Minister Jason Nixon said. “They will also ensure we maintain our competitive edge while creating jobs and economic growth for Alberta.”
The projects being funded are below:
Methane reduction pilot program – Sundre
The Sundre Petroleum Operators Group will receive $3 million to test methane emissions reduction technology. With the funding, the group plans to launch its methane testing pilot program at around 500 different facilities in the Sundre area. The not-for-profit organization includes energy stakeholders from government, industry, and community groups in the central Alberta region.
Artificial intelligence research – Edmonton
The Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute, based in Edmonton, will be slated $5 million to develop artificial intelligence capabilities to help companies with emissions reductions. The Reducing Emissions through Machine Intelligence (REMI) project will see the company working with industry to help them use technology to increase emission reduction capabilities. The institute has been working on AI projects in the province for over 15 years, according to its website.
Applied methane research – Calgary
The Calgary-based Petroleum Technology Alliance of Canada (PTAC) is receiving $2 million to launch 10 new projects focused on methane leak detection, quantification and repair. The PTAC will also be contributing $1 million in non-government funds into the projects. The group is a non-profit organization that aims to work with industry to advance technology in the oil sector.
The government launched its TIER project in January 2020. The project aims to reduce emissions in large industries like oilsands operations and electricity producers, which, according to the government, account for about 65 per cent of Alberta’s total greenhouse gas emissions.
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