ALBERTA INVESTS $46 MILLION TO ADVANCE TAILINGS AND MINE WATER TECHNOLOGIES AT OIL SANDS
Nine projects focused on improving the management and treatment of oil sands mine water and tailings will receive $46 million from the Government of Alberta through Emissions Reduction Alberta’s (ERA) Tailings Technology Challenge.
Worth approximately $133 million, these projects are expected to advance solutions that reduce environmental risks, support responsible site reclamation, and strengthen the long-term sustainability of Alberta’s oil sands sector. Funding comes from Alberta’s industry-funded Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) regulation.
The announcement was made on Wednesday, March 4, at the University of Calgary’s Schulich School of Engineering in the CNRL Engineering Complex by Grant Hunter, Minister of Environment and Protected Areas; ERA CEO, Justin Riemer; Peter Zebedee, Executive Vice President, Upstream, Suncor; along with representatives from various projects.
Projects are being led by a diverse set of proponents, including each of the province’s largest Oil Sands mining operators, a post-secondary institution, and small- and medium-sized enterprises. Investments range from $1 million to $15 million per project.
The Tailings Technology Challenge aligns with the Government of Alberta’s Oil Sands Mine Water Steering Committee recommendations. The Steering Committee included representatives from Indigenous communities, academia, industry, and government to ensure a balanced perspective on mine water and tailings management.
If successful, these projects are also estimated to deliver annual emissions reductions of 4,600 tonnes of CO2 annually, cumulative reductions of over 23,000 tonnes by 2030, and 79,000 cumulative tonnes by 2050. By 2027, these projects are expected to create approximately 1,400 person-year jobs of employment and $220 million in GDP.
THE FOLLOWING PROJECTS WERE SELECTED FOR FUNDING:
CANADIAN NATURAL RESOURCES LIMITED
Total Cost: $3,100,000 | ERA Funding: $1,500,000
Location: Albian Sands, AB
Pilot two advanced membrane technologies to treat and recycle mine water for use in bitumen extraction under real site conditions to enable large-scale water recycling, reduce freshwater demand, and improve operational efficiency.
CANADIAN NATURAL RESOURCES LIMITED
Total Cost: $3,100,000 | ERA Funding: $1,300,000
Location: Fort MacKay, AB
Conduct a portfolio of research to understand tailings geochemical processes and develop technologies and approaches that enhance water and soil quality at closure, minimize environmental impacts, and provide scalable, cost-effective solutions for Alberta’s oil sands and other mining sectors.
CANADIAN NATURAL RESOURCES LIMITED
Total Cost: $70,000,000 | ERA Funding: $15,000,000
Location: Albian Sands, AB
Advance in-pond mixing technologies for fine and coarse tailings by using inline flocculation for fluid and thickened tailings to create more stable deposits, reduce fluid inventories, and decrease reliance on energy-intensive centrifugation.
Total Cost: $9,400,000 | ERA Funding: $4,700,000
Location: Fort McMurray & Edmonton, AB; Burnaby, BC
Advance an integrated, field-ready platform for high-resolution geo-characterization of tailings to improve decisions related to dewatering, consolidation, and water reuse to reduce environmental impact, improve closure planning, and strengthen collaboration with Indigenous communities and industry partners.
Total Cost: $3,600,000 | ERA Funding: $1,800,000
Location: Wood Buffalo, AB; Acheson, AB
Demonstrate two passive mine water treatment technologies that remove organics, address salinity, and enable year-round water reuse with smaller physical footprints and improved efficiency.
Total Cost: $27,200,000 | ERA Funding: $12,800,000
Location: Kearl Oil Sands, AB
Pilot a process that integrates advanced chemistry and optimized treatment to improve particle agglomeration, reduce tailings volumes, enhance water recovery, and accelerate consolidation. This will support earlier land reclamation, increase storage efficiency, and lessen long-term environmental impacts.
NORTHERN ALBERTA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (NAIT)
Total Cost: $2,100,000 | ERA Funding: $1,000,000
Location: Edmonton, AB
Advance a framework in collaboration with COSIA member companies and Indigenous communities to establish transparent performance indicators for chemical additives and treatment technologies, enabling more consistent evaluation, pilot testing, and adoption of emerging technologies across the oil sands.
Total Cost: $9,000,000 | ERA Funding: $4,500,000
Location: Across Alberta
Assess the development of oil sands-specific modular amphibious equipment to improve access to soft tailings deposits to install wick drains and deploy other ground improvement techniques to accelerate dewatering and stabilization to support terrestrial reclamation and dam delicensing.
Total Cost: $6,000,000 | ERA Funding: $3,000,000
Location: Edmonton, AB
Further test advanced membrane-based technologies for treating oil sands mine water to help reduce stored volumes through the potential release of treated water, improve recycling, and advance land reclamation, while lowering emissions in support of mine closure.
APPROVAL PROCESS
Projects were selected through ERA’s competitive review process. A team of experts in science, engineering, business development, commercialization, financing, and environmental impact quantification conducted an independent, rigorous, and transparent review overseen by a Fairness Monitor. ERA’s Board of Directors made the final funding decision based on these experts’ recommendations.
PROJECT LOCATION
All projects supported through this Call require piloting, demonstrating, or deploying the technology within Alberta. Applicants were not required to be located in Alberta, but all applicants had to demonstrate a clear value proposition for the province.
KNOWLEDGE SHARING
All ERA funding recipients are required to produce a final outcomes report that is shared publicly for the broader benefit of Alberta. Funding recipients will be required to report on project outcomes, achievements, and lessons learned, including GHG reductions, job creation, and other environmental, economic, and social benefits.
STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT
Expressions of Interest (EOIs) were invited for projects that will advance technologies to the stages of field pilot, demonstration, or first-of-kind commercial implementation by project completion, as described below:
- Field Test/Pilot: The technology or innovation is ready to be field-tested in an operational environment. Projects in this category include the scale-up of prototypes to representative pilot scale and subsequent in-field testing of pilot units.
- Commercial Demonstration: The technology or innovation is approaching the final commercial product, and representative systems have been built. Projects in this category include demonstrating near- or fully-commercial-scale systems in an operational environment.
- First-of-Kind Commercial Deployment: The technology is ready for first-of-kind commercial deployment. Projects in this category will involve the design, construction, and operation of the technology in its final commercial form, with the intention of operating the technology throughout its full commercial life.
ABOUT THE CALL
Alberta’s oil sands mining operations produce several high-volume waste streams as part of normal operation, including tailings and oil sands mine water (OSMW). With some operations nearing the end of their mine life, finding effective ways to treat oil sands mine water that cannot currently be released is essential for successful reclamation and closure. Solving the tailings and oil sands mine water challenge calls for strong collaboration among technology providers, operators, and Indigenous communities.
This Tailings Technology Challenge reflects the province’s commitment to engage with industry, Indigenous communities, and other governments to develop safe, evidence-based approaches to mine site closure and land reclamation.
This funding opportunity was designed to invest in scale-up, pilot, demonstration, and first-of-kind commercial technologies and solutions related to the reduction and management of tailings and mine water in Alberta.
Successful applicants were eligible to receive up to $15 million per project, with a minimum funding request of $1 million. ERA’s contribution to a single project will be no more than 50 per cent of the project’s eligible expenses
Click the links below for more details:
- Call for Expressions of Interest Guidelines
- Eligible Expense and Cost Instructions
- Privacy, Confidentiality, Data, and Security Policy
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Expression of Interest Template
- FPP Appendix B Template
- FPP Appendix C Template (Please visit Grant Manager to access this file)
This Call was open to oil sand operators with tailings ponds and/or tailings mine water under management, and technology providers with a confirmed oil sands operator as a partner at the time of application submission. Applicants were strongly encouraged to partner with Alberta’s post-secondary and research institutions, Indigenous communities, and municipalities.
ABOUT EMISSIONS REDUCTION ALBERTA (ERA)
Since 2009, ERA has invested revenues from the carbon price paid by large emitters to accelerate innovative clean technology solutions. Since 2009, ERA has committed $993 million toward 320 projects worth $10.3 billion, helping reduce emissions, create competitive industries, and unlock new economic opportunities.
ABOUT TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION AND EMISSIONS REDUCTION (TIER) FUNDING
TIER is Alberta’s industrial carbon pricing and emissions trading system. It helps facilities find innovative ways to reduce emissions and invest in clean technology to stay competitive and save money.