Canada Invests in Cutting-Edge Carbon Capture and Storage to Drive Clean Energy Innovation

Today, Parliamentary Secretary Marc G. Serré, on behalf of the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson announced an investment totalling over $14 million to support carbon management technologies under the Energy Innovation Program’s Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) research, development and demonstration (RD&D) call for proposals. These projects will support the RD&D of next-generation CO₂ capture and storage and transportation technologies.

NRCan is funding the following six projects:

Project Name: Novel carbon storage solution through critical minerals production: in process tailings carbonation
Recipient: Canada Nickel Company Inc.
Location: Ontario
Funding: $3,362,416
Project Summary: This project aims to utilize ultramafic tailings from nickel mining as a permanent, geologically stable CO₂ sequestration solution through proprietary in-process tailings (IPT) carbonation technology. It seeks to derisk and demonstrate the sequestration potential of Canada Nickel’s IPT carbonation technology at the pilot-plant level, with successful outcomes enabling millions of tonnes of annual CO₂ sequestration if the intended mine becomes operational. Additionally, the project will validate the stability and permanence of carbon sequestration in tailings, providing detailed demonstrations and reports.

Project Name: Computational and experimental R&D of advanced sorbents for achieving low-cost, efficient, direct air capture systems.
Recipient: Université Laval
Location: Quebec
Funding: $600,000
Project Summary: This project aims to conduct research focused on identifying efficient and cost-competitive solid adsorbents for direct air capture (DAC) applications using an integrated molecular modelling and machine learning technique and to validate their performance through experiments.

Project Name: Direct Air Capture of CO₂ using pH-swing and electrochemical capture liquid regeneration
Recipient: The Governing Council of the University of Toronto
Location: Ontario
Funding: $2,500,000
Project Summary: This project aims to leverage low-cost, renewable, electric DAC removal process to capture and contrate atmosphere CO₂ into a pure stream for geological storage or utilization in CO₂ market.

Project Name: Captage supersonique du CO₂ en provenance de sources industrielles
Recipient: Université de Sherbrooke (Laboratoire LOCUS)
Location: Quebec
Funding: $500,000
Project Summary: The project aims to improve cryogenic/expansion technology via laboratory R&D to develop an innovative supersonic carbon capture process, adaptable to various industrial sources at low cost.

Project Name: Enbridge-Imperial conventional CO₂ storage assessment for Ontario 
Recipient: Enbridge Gas Inc. 
Location: Ontario
Funding: $5,000,000 
Project Summary: This project aims to successfully characterize the CO₂ storage potential in the Cambrian saline reservoir in Southwestern Ontario to improve planning for future CO₂ hubs in the region. This project aims to de-risk CCS in the region by reducing geological uncertainty to enable industry investment in capture, transportation and storage hub planning, in addition to furthering Canada’s 2050 net-zero emissions initiatives. 

Project Name: Development of extraction and carbonation technology for ultramatic rocks
Recipient: Kemetco Research Inc.
Location: British Columbia    
Funding: $2,279,462
Project Summary: This project aims to develop technology for large-scale carbon sequestration while creating reserves of critical minerals. By eliminating the smelting process in nickel mining, it addresses environmental challenges, enhances Canada’s cleantech and CCUS sector, and positions the country as a global leader in mineralization technologies. It will generate new intellectual property, inspire nationwide innovation, drive industry adoption, deliver economic benefits and advance the commercialization of the technology.