Alberta
Alberta piloting test to supply industry with fuel derived from worn-out tires
Turning industrial waste into energy |
Alberta is launching a Tire-Derived Fuel pilot to test the effectiveness of turning old, worn-out tires into energy to power industrial facilities.
Alberta’s government is helping industry reduce emissions, save money and turn landfill waste into energy – all through technology.
Around the world, demand for industrial and manufacturing products is rising rapidly. Companies are looking for more ways to repurpose waste, decrease costs and increase operational efficiency while reducing emissions, but these improvements can be expensive and complex.
Alberta’s government and industry are stepping up and setting an example for the world, investing in two new programs to help more industrial and manufacturing companies reduce emissions, re-use waste and keep powering the world. In partnership with Lafarge Canada, the province will launch a program to expand the use of recycled spare tires and will invest $10 million in a second program to help industry save on their energy bills.
“We are investing in lower-emission fuels and facility upgrades to set our energy sector up for continued success. These new initiatives will keep our province at the forefront of technological advancement and ensure Alberta continues to lead the way to reduce emissions and turn waste into energy.”
New Tire-Derived Fuel Pilot Project
Alberta is launching a Tire-Derived Fuel pilot to test the effectiveness of turning old, worn-out tires into energy to power industrial facilities. Led by the Alberta Recycling Management Authority (ARMA), the pilot will turn up to 1.5 million used tires into up to 15,750 tonnes of chips that will become tire-derived fuel in the coming months.
Lafarge Canada’s new Low-Carbon Fuel Facility will participate in the pilot project. They have the equipment needed to burn waste-derived fuels, reducing their use of natural gas. Results from the pilot will be used to help determine whether tire-derived fuel should be permanently added to the province’s existing Tire Recycling Program.
New Strategic Energy Management for Industry Program
Alberta’s government is also investing $10 million from the industry-funded Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) fund to help launch the new Strategic Energy Management for Industry program, open for applications on Oct. 17.
Delivered through Emissions Reduction Alberta, the program will cover the cost of energy assessments and capital retrofits to save Alberta-based industrial and manufacturing facilities money on their energy bills. It will also provide energy management training, knowledge sharing and technical support.
Agriculture, forestry, fishing, hunting, mining, oil and gas, and cement companies will all be eligible for funding. Additional funding will also be provided by the Government of Canada and announced soon. More information will be shared on Emissions Reduction Alberta’s website.
New Low-Carbon Fuel Facility
Thanks in part to $10 million in TIER funding delivered through Emissions Reduction Alberta, Lafarge Canada has opened a cutting-edge Low-Carbon Fuel Facility that will replace up to 50 per cent of the natural gas it uses with low-carbon fuel from construction demolition waste. This will keep up to 120,000 tonnes of construction and demolition materials out of landfills and produce up to 30,000 fewer tonnes of emissions.
“The Tire-Derived Fuel Pilot program is another step in resource recovery. We appreciate the support from the Government of Alberta and industry partners like Lafarge Canada, enabling us to explore innovative recycling technologies to assess its viability. This pilot initiative not only addresses near-term tire stockpile reduction needs from our Tire Recycling Program, but also brings the potential to further boost economic opportunities across the province.”
“Improving the efficiency of industrial and manufacturing processes and facilities is the quickest, most cost-effective way to lower energy bills and stay competitive. But it takes knowledge, expertise, training and capital. With SEMI, Alberta companies will soon have even more opportunity to invest in energy and cost-saving technologies.”
“We’re pleased to see the Government of Alberta’s continued commitment to technology and innovation funding, which plays a crucial role in driving innovation and sustainability across all industries. Lafarge Canada has directly benefited from past support, helping us advance our low-carbon solutions. These funding opportunities empower us to accelerate our efforts to reduce emissions and contribute to a more sustainable future for Alberta.”
Quick facts
- Albertans have recycled more than 149.5 million tires and diverted hundreds of thousands of tonnes of tires from landfills since 1992 through ARMA’s existing Tire Recycling Program.
- Scrap tires are currently processed under ARMA’s Tire Recycling Program and turned into drainage material in municipal landfills, playground surfaces, sidewalk blocks, roofing tiles and landscaping mulch, but with markets for recycled tire products declining, alternative outlets are needed to avoid tire stockpiles.
- To date, Emissions Reduction Alberta has invested $960 million from the industrial carbon price toward more than 290 projects worth over $8.6 billion, estimated to reduce 40 million tonnes of emissions by 2030.
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From the Fraser Institute
By Tegan Hill
Amid the economic uncertainty fuelled by Trump’s trade war, its perhaps more important than ever to understand Alberta’s crucial role in the federation and its outsized contribution to programs such as the Canada Pension Plan (CPP).
From 1981 to 2022, Albertan’s net contribution to the CPP—meaning the amount Albertans paid into the program over and above what retirees in Alberta received in CPP payments—was $53.6 billion. In 2022 (the latest year of available data), Albertans’ net contribution to the CPP was $3.0 billion.
During that same period (1981 to 2022), British Columbia was the only other province where residents paid more into the CPP than retirees received in benefits—and Alberta’s contribution was six times greater than B.C.’s contribution. Put differently, residents in seven out of the nine provinces that participate in the CPP (Quebec has its own plan) receive more back in benefits than they contribute to the program.
Albertans pay an outsized contribution to federal and national programs, including the CPP because of the province’s relatively high rates of employment, higher average incomes and younger population (i.e. more workers pay into the CPP and less retirees take from it).
Put simply, Albertan workers have been helping fund the retirement of Canadians from coast to coast for decades, and without Alberta, the CPP would look much different.
How different?
If Alberta withdrew from the CPP and established its own standalone provincial pension plan, Alberta workers would receive the same retirement benefits but at a lower cost (i.e. lower CPP contribution rate deducted from our paycheques) than other Canadians, while the contribution rate—essentially the CPP tax rate—to fund the program would likely need to increase for the rest of the country to maintain the same benefits.
And given current demographic projections, immigration patterns and Alberta’s long history of leading the provinces in economic growth, Albertan workers will likely continue to pay more into the CPP than Albertan retirees get back from it.
Therefore, considering Alberta’s crucial role in national programs, the next federal government—whoever that may be—should undo and prevent policies that negatively impact the province and Albertans ability to contribute to Canada. Think of Bill C-69 (which imposes complex, uncertain and onerous review requirements on major energy projects), Bill C-48 (which bans large oil tankers off B.C.’s northern coast and limits access to Asian markets), an arbitrary cap on oil and gas emissions, numerous other “net-zero” targets, and so on.
Canada faces serious economic challenges, including a trade war with the United States. In times like this, it’s important to remember Alberta’s crucial role in the federation and the outsized contributions of Alberta workers to the wellbeing of Canadians across the country.
Show your Alberta side. Buy Local. |
When the going gets tough, Albertans stick together. That’s why Alberta’s government is launching a new campaign to benefit hard-working Albertans.
Global uncertainty is threatening the livelihoods of hard-working Alberta farmers, ranchers, processors and their families. The ‘Buy Local’ campaign, recently launched by Alberta’s government, encourages consumers to eat, drink and buy local to show our unified support for the province’s agriculture and food industry.
The government’s ‘Buy Local’ campaign encourages consumers to buy products from Alberta’s hard-working farmers, ranchers and food processors that produce safe, nutritious food for Albertans, Canadians and the world.
“It’s time to let these hard-working Albertans know we have their back. Now, more than ever, we need to shop local and buy made-in-Alberta products. The next time you are grocery shopping or go out for dinner or a drink with your friends or family, support local to demonstrate your Alberta pride. We are pleased tariffs don’t impact the ag industry right now and will keep advocating for our ag industry.”
Alberta’s government supports consumer choice. We are providing tools to help folks easily identify Alberta- and Canadian-made foods and products. Choosing local products keeps Albertans’ hard-earned dollars in our province. Whether it is farm-fresh vegetables, potatoes, honey, craft beer, frozen food or our world-renowned beef, Alberta has an abundance of fresh foods produced right on our doorstep.
Quick facts
- This summer, Albertans can support local at more than 150 farmers’ markets across the province and meet the folks who make, bake and grow our food.
- In March 2023, the Alberta government launched the ‘Made in Alberta’ voluntary food and beverage labelling program to support local agriculture and food sectors.
- Through direct connections with processors, the program has created the momentum to continue expanding consumer awareness about the ‘Made in Alberta’ label to help shoppers quickly identify foods and beverages produced in our province.
- Made in Alberta product catalogue website
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