The Canadian Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources has announced investments totalling C$28.9 million for 12 projects across Canada that will accelerate the development and deployment of clean energy technologies. To be funded through Natural Resources Canada’s (NRCan) Energy Innovation Program (EIP), the projects include five carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) initiatives located in Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Quebec, and focused on advancing storage validation, CO₂ tracking, and industrial utilisation technologies.

While C$16.9 million has been allocated to carbon capture, utilisation, and storage, C$9.2 million will fund three renewable energy projects. C$2.8 million is to be spent on smart grid regulatory innovation and capacity-building projects.

In a statement, the Ministry said that together, these investments reflect a clear focus on getting more clean energy to market faster, while reducing emissions and strengthening Canada’s economic and energy security.

The Honourable Tim Hodgson, Canadian Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, said: “Canada is scaling up clean energy while strengthening our electricity grid and responsibly growing our conventional energy industry — because competitiveness means doing more than one thing at the same time. We are investing to provide reliable, affordable and clean power across the country that will propel our economic growth, protect affordability for Canadian families and make Canada a low-risk, low-cost, low-carbon energy superpower.”

Recipients of CCUS funding include Carbon Alpha Corp., a Svante Company, and Petroleum Technology Research Centre, both located in Saskatchewan, as well as Quebec-based CarbiCrete Inc. The CarbiCrete project will develop a new concrete curing process with the potential to use industrial waste streams, such as low CO₂ or flue-gas emissions in decarbonized concrete.

A project to be conducted by York University in Toronto will advance an innovative CO₂ capture technology that uses electrochemical regeneration and alternative light processes to lower energy use, reduce operating costs, and improve overall performance.

Finally, CO2L Technologies Inc., located in Kingston, Ontario, has been awarded C$580,000 to scale up electrochemical technology to turn CO₂ into useful products such as formate salts, formic acid, and desiccants. These products are used in everyday industries like cement, de-icing, chemical manufacturing, agriculture, and humidity control.