(Canadian Press)

By Justin Goulet/LethbridgeNewsNOW

Provincial and federal governments team for carbon emissions reduction working group

Mar 8, 2021 | 12:22 PM

EDMONTON, AB – The provincial government is teaming with Ottawa on a new working group that will explore ways to reduce emissions, diversify the economy and create jobs.

The group will comprise of officials from both the governments of Alberta and Canada. It will be advised by representatives from key industries in the province and other experts.

The province says the group will explore opportunities with carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) technology, and how Alberta can lead the way in setting up the country to be a global leader in emissions-reducing technology.

“As a pioneer in CCUS development, Alberta has more than a decade of experience with this technology. The ingenuity of Alberta’s energy sector combined with our geological capacity to store carbon and the federal government’s commitment to invest in CCUS is a winning combination for Alberta,” said the province’s Energy Minister Sonya Savage.

Minister of Natural Resources, Seamus O’Regan Jr. said, “carbon capture technology creates jobs, lowers emissions, and increases our competitiveness. It’s how we get to net-zero.”

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Members of the group will include policy experts from:

• Alberta Energy
• Alberta Environment and Parks
• Alberta Jobs, Economy and Innovation
• Natural Resources Canada
• Environment and Climate Change Canada
• Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

The province has already invested over $1.2 billion in two CCS projects: the Alberta Carbon Trunk Line project (ACTL) and the Quest project.

The ACTL is a $1.2 billion project, with up to $495 million in support from the Government of Alberta and $63 million from the federal government. Last June, the project started full operations with the first injection of carbon dioxide at their field near Clive. More details on the ACTL are available here.

The Quest project is a $1.35 billion project, with $745 million in support from the province and $120 million from Ottawa. Since opening in late 2015, the project has captured and stored over five-million tonnes of carbon dioxide. More details can be found here.