Feds release $11 million in funding for energy projects, with the majority in Alberta

Welcome to this week's Sunday Briefing. In this issue, read about federal government funding for energy projects, plus 9 other stories you may have missed.

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🗳️ Question of the Week

Feds release $11 million in funding for energy projects, with the majority in Alberta

In what it describes as an effort to position Canada to become a leader in hydrogen and other critical energy technologies, the federal government has announced $11 million in funding for nine energy technology projects — $2.5 million in funding for small modular reactor research and $8.5 million to support innovation in Canada's clean hydrogen sector.

The feds say that with the energy transition already well underway, ultra-low carbon sources of energy such as wind, solar, hydro and nuclear power will be key to seizing the enormous economic opportunities that are available to Canadians in all regions of the country.

With seven of the nine funded projects based in Alberta, it looks like the province is set to lead the way.

Of the funding, $5 million will be allocated to three projects in Alberta selected through the Energy Innovation Program's (EIP) Clean Fuels and Industrial Fuel Switching call for proposals, including:

• $3 million to Aurora Hydrogen Inc. to advance the use of microwave energy for pyrolysis technology to convert methane to hydrogen and solid carbon with minimal greenhouse gas emissions and no water use;

• $1 million to Quantiam Technologies for the production of carbon-negative methanol and e-fuels from captured carbon dioxide and green hydrogen

• $1 million to Innova Hydrogen Corp. for zero-carbon hydrogen production via catalytic methane pyrolysis.

The remaining four projects, also in Alberta, are funded through the EIP and support the Hydrogen Centre of Excellence, a strategic initiative led by Alberta Innovates.

🤝 Funding, Deals, and Partnerships

• Tall Grass Ventures secured $32 million for its first fund to back early-stage agtech and foodtech startups across the Prairies and Canada. BetaKit

• Alberta Innovates, a provincial crown corp. to promote innovation, received $10 million from Prairies Economic Development Canada to accelerate the creation of commercial carbon fibre. Alberta Innovates

📰 Need To Know

• Alberta tech company Wyvern hopes to build a better Earth from space. A group of University of Alberta alumni is behind a local company on a mission to help build a better earth using their specialized satellite images (video). Global News

• Balance ‘laser-focused on bringing a truly local solution’ to Canadian crypto custody. Canada’s oldest and largest digital asset custodian this week launched special purpose trust. Calgary Tech

• Opinion: Alberta drought shows need to invest in water management. Climate change is going to be felt most acutely through water: how much we get, where we get it and when. Edmonton Journal

• Alberta lithium company E3 pegs capital cost of proposed project at $2.47B. A company that aims to develop the lithium that occurs naturally within Alberta’s oilfield brines has pegged the estimated capital cost of its proposed Clearwater project at $2.47 billion. Global News

• Scaffold program hopes to level up Alberta's game development scene. Alberta’s video game development ecosystem is about to get a massive upgrade thanks to Scaffold, an initiative that connects fledgling game studios with industry veterans and investors. Edmonton Journal

• Calgary tech firm Long View named a top Microsoft partner at annual awards event. The Calgary-based information technology solutions firm has an “opportunity to be a force for good in the world,” according to its leadership. Calgary Tech

• Carbon Clean expands into Calgary, fuelling Canadian growth ambitions. The company aims to meet the growing demand for its innovative CycloneCC modular technology by expanding its workforce throughout 2024. The OGM