Alberta's government is spearheading Canada’s first industrial-scale waste-to-energy facility with carbon capture technology, providing $2.8 million through the Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) program, Alberta’s industrial carbon tax. The funding supports a $6.1-million front-end engineering and design study led by Varme Energy, aimed at converting municipal waste into clean electricity while capturing and storing carbon dioxide emissions.Currently, less than 3% of municipal waste in Canada is converted into energy, with no existing projects capturing CO2 emissions. Landfills account for 23% of the country’s methane emissions, and this initiative seeks to help municipalities achieve landfill diversion and sustainability goals.The future facility, set to begin operations in 2027, will be located in Alberta’s Industrial Heartland on land owned by Gibson Energy. The project will convert solid waste into electricity for the grid, capturing approximately 185,000 tonnes of CO2 annually, which will be sequestered in Alberta's carbon storage hubs.“Alberta is a global leader in carbon capture, and the best place for projects like this to thrive,” said Rebecca Schulz, Minister of Environment and Protected Areas.The waste-to-energy facility aims to divert over 200,000 tonnes of municipal waste from landfills each year. With carbon capture technology, the greenhouse gases typically emitted by the facility will instead be stored underground, creating a carbon-negative process that captures more CO2 than it emits.Varme Energy CEO Sean Collins expressed gratitude for the support, saying the provincial funding “de-risks” the project, pushing it toward a positive investment decision.The design study is expected to be completed by December 2024, with construction slated to begin in 2025.
Alberta's government is spearheading Canada’s first industrial-scale waste-to-energy facility with carbon capture technology, providing $2.8 million through the Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) program, Alberta’s industrial carbon tax. The funding supports a $6.1-million front-end engineering and design study led by Varme Energy, aimed at converting municipal waste into clean electricity while capturing and storing carbon dioxide emissions.Currently, less than 3% of municipal waste in Canada is converted into energy, with no existing projects capturing CO2 emissions. Landfills account for 23% of the country’s methane emissions, and this initiative seeks to help municipalities achieve landfill diversion and sustainability goals.The future facility, set to begin operations in 2027, will be located in Alberta’s Industrial Heartland on land owned by Gibson Energy. The project will convert solid waste into electricity for the grid, capturing approximately 185,000 tonnes of CO2 annually, which will be sequestered in Alberta's carbon storage hubs.“Alberta is a global leader in carbon capture, and the best place for projects like this to thrive,” said Rebecca Schulz, Minister of Environment and Protected Areas.The waste-to-energy facility aims to divert over 200,000 tonnes of municipal waste from landfills each year. With carbon capture technology, the greenhouse gases typically emitted by the facility will instead be stored underground, creating a carbon-negative process that captures more CO2 than it emits.Varme Energy CEO Sean Collins expressed gratitude for the support, saying the provincial funding “de-risks” the project, pushing it toward a positive investment decision.The design study is expected to be completed by December 2024, with construction slated to begin in 2025.
