Partnership in global CCUS initiative leverages international investment

Three Alberta-led carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) projects are receiving funding as part of Emissions Reduction Alberta’s (ERA) international partnership with Accelerating CCS Technologies (ACT). ERA is committing $3 million to 3 projects worth over $11 million. Funding is sourced from Alberta’s industry-funded Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) fund. Additional investment from Norway and the United States was also committed.

These innovative Alberta-based projects were selected through the ACT consortium’s ACT4 Call. Successful projects required a consortium consisting of at least two eligible applicants from at least two countries/regions participating in ACT4 Call: Germany, India, Norway, United States, or Canada. All three projects involve development, scale-up, field testing, piloting, demonstration, or deployment of technology within Alberta or Alberta-based companies working on technology in a partner’s region.

The three Alberta-led projects selected include:

Carbon Management Canada
Develop a low-cost, high resolution monitoring technology for CO2 storage facilities
ERA funding: $1,100,000 | Project value: $6,100,000
Location: Calgary, Alberta
ACT partners: Norway, United States

Carbon Upcycling Technologies  
Bind CO2 into a variety of feedstocks to create cementitious materials for use in concrete
ERA funding: $600,000 | Project value: $1,900,000
Location: Calgary, Alberta; Golden, Colorado
ACT partners: United States

Repsol Canada
Investigate the feasibility for permanent storage of CO2 in depleted gas reservoirs
ERA funding: $1,300,000 | Project value: $3,300,000
Location: Edson, Alberta
ACT partners: United States

In total, six projects will be supported under ACT4 Call, including the three ERA-funded initiatives. The total budget of the 6 projects is $23 million (including in-kind and industry funds), of which $16 million is from ACT partners. Projects were selected through a rigorous one-stage evaluation process led by each national funding agency. Additional ACT4 Call projects can be found here.

ABOUT THE CALL               

Through the ACT4 Call, ERA sought out innovative CCUS technologies with strong potential for commercialization in Alberta. Successful projects will enable the emergence of CCUS in the energy and industrial sectors with results ranging from reduced operational costs and lowered emissions to new technology, safe storage, and the optimization of existing infrastructure. Funding was available for projects at the technology scale-up, field pilot, commercial demonstration, or commercial implementation stages.

Project proposals required a project consortium consisting of at least two eligible applicants from at least two countries/regions participating in ACT4 Call. Consortia with partners from other countries was welcome if these organizations are funded by sources other than ACT. This partnership requirement demonstrated international collaboration and is a way for countries to leverage new knowledge, expertise, and resources.

APPROVAL PROCESS

All proposals underwent a rigorous one-stage evaluation process:

• Full Proposal Review: National/regional funding bodies will evaluate the full proposals that have been submitted to determine their suitability, evaluate them based on the primary and regional criteria, and rank them by a team of subject matter experts. ERA will use its standard review process for the evaluation of these full proposals by conducting an independent, rigorous, transparent review overseen by a Fairness Monitor. The final funding decision will be made by the relevant funding bodies based on the ranking and approval of the ACT consortium’s individual funding organizations. ERA will use its standard approval process for final funding decisions.
• Project Execution: Successful applicants are required to enter into a legal agreement with their respective national/regional funding organizations (e.g., Alberta companies with ERA, Norwegian companies with RCN, etc.). For each approved project, the entire consortium of applicant partners must have a signed agreement detailing the internal organization and management of the consortium, intellectual property arrangements, and settlement of internal disputes.

Projects were evaluated based on three primary criteria, in addition to national/regional funding organization criteria:

• Excellence: dealing with the overall fit within the scope of the call, credibility of the technology, scientific merit, ambition and innovation potential, trans-national cooperation within the CCUS community, and relevance and clarity of overall objectives.
• Impact: underscoring the importance of the results of the project, expected contribution to the advancement of CCUS, impact on environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG), and industrial relevance.
• Quality and Efficiency: including a coherent and effective project plan, appropriate budget allocation, risk management procedures, and team capability.

ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP

In 2020, ERA announced a partnership with the global initiative to invest in world-class innovation that can lead to safe and cost-effective CCUS technologies. ACT is coordinated by the Research Council of Norway (RCN) and is a collaboration of 15 research and innovation funding organizations from 16 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and others. Alberta, through ERA, is the first sub-national member.

The ACT consortium has established itself as a strong multinational funding approach for research and innovation dedicated CCUS, an area of intense global interest as a key emissions reduction opportunity for the large industrial sector: power generation, cement production, oil and gas, manufacturing, and more.

In addition to leveraging international funding for CCUS initiatives, the partnership with innovation organizations around the world represents a significant opportunity for future collaboration and knowledge sharing. All projects will present their goals and plans at the Annual ACT Knowledge Sharing Workshop and all recipients are required to produce a final outcomes report that will be shared publicly for the broader benefit of Alberta.

Through the consortium’s previous funding opportunity, ACT3 Call, ERA committed over $2 million to four Alberta-led projects worth almost $24 million, including Carbonova Corp, Carbon Management Canada, and two projects from the University of Alberta.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION

September 12, 2022 at 5:00AM MDT (UTC-6h)