Alberta First Nation teams up with tech company to build net-zero power plant
'This announcement demonstrates Indigenous leadership in Canada’s energy transition'
Work is under way to build what officials say will be the first net-zero natural gas-powered electricity plant in Canada.
Frog Lake First Nation, east of Edmonton, has partnered with Kanata Clean Power and Climate Technologies to use NET Power's patented technology to build the plant.
It will use natural gas and pure oxygen to generate electricity, with the resulting CO2 recycled through a combustor, turbine, heat exchanger and compressor — finally generating power without emissions, according to the companies.
Chad Gvozdenovic with Kanata Clean Power said he believes the technology is a game changer for both the province and the country.
"This will allow our transition and will support renewables with firm dispatchable 24/7 power, so we will allow renewables to penetrate really deeply in our electricity system," he said.
Frog Lake's NET Power plant will generate 300 megawatts of electricity, and produce water for 15,000 households. The clean water is a waste product of the process.
Kanata says the project development is underway with construction expected to start in 2023 and power production to start by 2025.
"This announcement demonstrates Indigenous leadership in Canada's energy transition," said Frog Lake Chief Greg Desjarlais in a release.
"We are now developing net zero infrastructure that will demonstrate our leadership, addressing climate change using technology that will help decarbonize Canada's economy."
A 50-megawatt plant using the same technology is already in operation in La Porte, Texas. Four others in the United States and United Kingdom are also in development.