Feds and Alberta fund carbon conversion test facility

The federal and Alberta governments are providing up to $20 million to develop the Alberta Carbon Conversion Technology Centre (ACCTC) for the testing of carbon conversion technologies. The centre will be hosted by the 860-megawatt Shephard Energy Centre and will be used by finalists in the natural gas track of the $20-million Carbon XPrize competition now underway. ACCTC allows for flue gas testing of promising carbon conversion technologies at industrial scale. It is a collaboration between the two levels of government, Canada's Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA), Shephard, InnoTech Alberta Corp and academia. COSIA is contributing $5 million in in-kind support and operating costs and InnoTech Alberta — the wholly owned subsidiary of the recently consolidated Alberta Innovates corporations — will manage the facility. The NRG COSIA Carbon XPrize has 27 teams competing for $20 million in prize money. Ten finalists will be chosen in early 2018 and share in a $2.5 million purse to execute their proposed solution in either the natural gas or coal tracks, with the former being the first tenants of the ACCTC.  The centre will continue to be used by future innovators seeking to demonstrate breakthrough energy technologies. The Shephard Energy Centre is owns and operated by ENMAX Corp and Capital Power.