Canada Opens Call for Carbon Capture Research, Development, and Demonstration Projects

A healthy environment and a healthy economy go hand in hand, and nowhere is that clearer than in Canada’s clean energy future. The Government of Canada is investing to make Canada a leader in new technologies that will build a strong and resilient economy, create sustainable jobs, and fight climate change.

Today, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources, announced an $81.5-million call for expressions of interest to support research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) projects in carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS). CCUS technologies prevent gases from heavy industries like steel and cement from polluting the air, which helps fight climate change. The call will include three intakes to advance CCUS technologies: capture, storage and sequestration, and utilization. Applications are now open for carbon capture RD&D projects.

Funded under the Energy Innovation Program, carbon capture RD&D projects selected through this call will help emission-intensive industries identify, develop, and test technologies with competitive costs and energy efficiency levels that they could implement to capture their CO₂ emissions. Projects are expected to lower harmful emissions in these sectors, delivering clean air and water, and healthy communities, all while helping Canada reach its goal of achieving a net-zero economy by 2050.

The call for expressions of interest for carbon capture RD&D projects will remain open until October 3, 2022. Intakes for carbon storage and sequestration and utilization RD&D projects are expected to be launched over the coming year.

The International Energy Agency has been clear: carbon capture, utilization, and storage is an important emissions-reduction technology that can be applied across the energy system. The Government of Canada is committed to accelerating the development of technologies that will help build a clean energy future while creating new opportunities for Canadian workers and industries.

Through Budget 2021, the federal government is investing $319 million in research, development, and demonstrations to advance the commercial viability of CCUS technologies. These funds will support businesses, academia, non-profits, and government and public laboratories. Additionally, through its 2030 Emission Reduction Plan and Budget 2022, the government reaffirmed its commitment to developing a CCUS strategy for Canada and proposed a refundable investment tax credit valued at $2.6 billion over five years, starting in 2022–23, to incentivize the development and adoption of CCUS technology to help industries in their journey to net-zero emissions.

SOURCE Natural Resources Canada

For further information: Natural Resources Canada, Media Relations, 343-292-6100, NRCan.media.RNCan@canada.ca; Keean Nembhard, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Natural Resources, 613-323-7892, Keean.Nembhard@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca