Canada Advances Energy Innovation with Major Investments in Carbon Technologies and AI Solutions

TORONTO, Oct. 29, 2025 /CNW/ - Canada is at a pivotal moment in history. Faced with global volatility, a changing environment, and an affordability crisis, it is clear that the conventional ways of doing business no longer serve us. Canada must undertake bold and decisive action when it comes to retooling our economy and protecting our security and prosperity. Multilateralism with our allies can speed up clean energy innovation, enhance resilience, and reduce emissions worldwide.

Today, in support of its 2025 G7 Presidency, Canada co-hosted the second annual Energy Innovation Forum with the International Energy Agency (IEA). The Honourable Tim Hodgson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, welcomed experts from governments, major companies, startups, researchers, international finance, and venture capital investors to discuss opportunities, challenges, and partnerships needed to scale up innovative energy technologies and maximize their contribution to global energy systems and security.

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In a keynote speech opening the event, Minister Hodgson announced more than $11 million toward cutting-edge, made-in-Canada carbon utilization and storage technologies. These projects, located in Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador, will improve the safety and efficiency of subsurface CO2 storage while driving innovation in carbon utilization technologies that reduce costs, energy use, and carbon intensity across key industrial sectors.

In addition, the Minister announced the launch of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Canadian Energy Innovation Call for Proposals, which will fund high-impact RD&D projects that catalyze national expertise in Canadian-made AI solutions that accelerate the pace of domestic energy innovation and lower associated costs.

In support of Canada's leadership role in Mission Innovation's Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) Mission, the Minister also announced a second edition of the SMART-CDR Student Prize Competition, to be run in December 2025 by the University of Toronto's Lawson Climate Institute with an $89,000 grant from Natural Resources Canada (NRCan). The challenge will foster more young talent in the carbon management sector as students from around the world propose novel CDR solutions.

Our energy future depends on innovation focused on enhancing energy security and building out grids that are affordable and reliable. The federal government is focused on getting projects built, supporting our industries, and catalyzing a new era of economic growth. We will secure our position as a global supplier of secure, reliable, and low-carbon energy and natural resources, getting more energy to market to become an energy superpower.

Quotes

"Canada is building a cleaner, stronger future. By investing in made-in-Canada clean energy innovation, we're supporting homegrown innovation, creating good jobs, reducing pollution, and keeping our economy competitive. This is about growing opportunities for Canadians and protecting our environment as we become an energy superpower and the strongest economy in the G7."

The Honourable Tim Hodgson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources

"Canada has significant CO₂ emissions that must be mitigated to meet our climate targets. The Atlantic offshore region offers vast, proven storage capacity for Eastern Canada's CO₂ emissions -- enabling us to achieve these targets and remain a global leader in climate action."

Professor Grant Wach, DPhil, FGS, PGeo, Dalhousie University (for Evaluation of Carbon Storage Potential in Atlantic Canada project, Memorial University of Newfoundland)

"Solutions to reduce CO₂ emissions come from working together across disciplines, institutions, and boundaries. Contributing to the evaluation of Canada's carbon storage potential and educating and training the next generation is an honour."

Professor Lesley James, PhD, P.Eng., CAEF, Memorial University of Newfoundland (for Evaluation of Carbon Storage Potential in Atlantic Canada project)

"The Geological Carbon Storage Atlas of Eastern Canada is a critical step toward advancing Canada's low-carbon future. By providing a regional assessment of viable CO₂ storage opportunities in Quebec and Atlantic Canada, and making this study publicly available, we will accelerate CCS development, inform regulatory and policy decisions, and support transparent public dialogue."

Robert Pockar, M.Sc., Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Discovery Ltd. (for The Geological Carbon Storage Atlas of Eastern Canada)

"The reduction of CO₂ emissions is not a burden for our society but a significant opportunity for evolution in various industries for the sustainable production of energy and critical minerals. Carbon mineralization provides a promising method to permanently store CO₂ gas by forming stable mineral carbonates while simultaneously enhancing critical metal recovery from various feedstocks including nickel laterites and ultramafic silicate minerals."

Professor Fei Wang, P.Eng., Université Laval (for Utilization of Carbon Mineralization for Critical Metal Recovery and Permanent Carbon Storage from Various Feedstocks)

"Confirming the potential for CO₂ storage at a local scale and demonstrating its environmental and economical viability are critical for its adoption and deployment. INRS is proud to partner with the federal government to make this assessment possible in Quebec."

Professor Bernard Giroux, PhD, Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) (for Toward a Pilot Project in the Lower Saint Lawrence Lowlands in Quebec)

SOURCE Natural Resources Canada