Canadian Gas Association announces Natural Gas Innovation Fund™

OTTAWA, Oct. 19, 2016 /CNW/ - The Canadian Gas Association (CGA) today announced the intention to create the Natural Gas Innovation Fund™ (NGIF) to support research, demonstration and deployment of innovation in the natural gas value chain. Investing in innovation in the natural gas sector is essential to create a pathway to greenhouse gas emissions reductions that is both affordable and reliable.

Natural gas utilities have a long history of working in partnerships to drive innovation. The Natural Gas Innovation Fund™ will build on that history, bringing utilities, government, academia, incubators, accelerators, and technology developers in the natural gas value chain to support natural gas innovation and reduce emissions, drive energy efficiency, and ensure the availability of affordable energy for customers. A key priority for NGIF will be to find ways to access monies collected from natural gas ratepayers from cap and trade, carbon tax or other emission reduction mechanisms instituted by governments, and direct those monies to the financing of innovation in the use of gas. In this way rate payers will have the levies they pay directed back to them - ensuring the continued availability of clean and affordable energy for their needs.

The Natural Gas Innovation Fund™ will consider support for a range of investment opportunities including:

• Technologies for homes and buildings such as high efficiency water heaters, natural gas heat pumps, micro-combined heat and power (CHP), and condensing roof-top heaters;
• Technologies to support natural gas use as a clean and affordable alternative transportation fuel such as high horsepower engines for on and off road transportation, and home refueling compressed natural gas kits;
• Technologies that help reduce the emission profile of gas use such as renewable natural gas (RNG), power-to-gas systems (integrating gas and electric renewables), and smart CO₂ recovery and use technologies; and
• Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) technology applications such as small scale LNG production for remote community and industrial energy needs as a substitute for higher-emitting and more costly alternatives.

CGA is the voice of Canada's natural gas distribution industry and its members are distribution companies, transmission companies, equipment manufacturers and other service providers. Natural gas has a central place in Canada's energy mix meeting over 30 per cent of the country's energy needs. Today over 6.7 million customers representing well over 20 million Canadians rely on natural gas for heat and power in homes, apartments, buildings, businesses, hospitals and schools.

Quotes
"CGA has made innovation a key focus for the last 6 years with initiatives and investments around the use of our fuel and our infrastructure. Natural gas is an affordable, clean, safe, and reliable energy choice for Canadian consumers and investments made through this fund will build on the value proposition of that choice."

Timothy M. Egan,
President and CEO,
Canadian Gas Association

"The Natural Gas Innovation Fund™ will serve as a leading Canadian vehicle for the harnessing of innovation to deliver on cleantech in the natural gas value chain. We want to work with governments, industry, research and academic institutions, innovations centres and the emerging think tanks with an idea and solutions for a future with low emission natural gas energy."

John Adams,
Managing Director,
Natural Gas Innovation Funding

"Canada's natural gas distributors have taken a leadership role in announcing this fund. It is extremely positive that one of the areas of interest is related to advancing engine and refueling technology to support the use of natural gas as a clean and affordable alternative transportation fuel."

Bruce Winchester
Executive Director
Canadian Natural Gas Vehicle Alliance

"Natural gas and renewable natural gas are vital to de-carbonization of the Canadian economy, particularly in the areas of trucking and off road transportation. This new innovation fund will enable some of the necessary research to ensure these environmental benefits are fully realized. Pollution Probe looks forward to working with the Canadian Gas Association and its members on this very positive new initiative."

Ingrid Thompson
Chief Executive Officer
Pollution Probe

"Communities account for 60% of energy use and over half of all greenhouse gas emissions in Canada. This Fund will help bring together key stakeholders interested in collectively driving energy innovation that will support emissions reductions, energy efficiency and the availability of affordable energy, all of which are key to enabling Smart Energy Communities."

Brent Gilmour
Executive Director
QUEST

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SOURCE Canadian Gas Association

Paula Dunlop, Director, Public and Government Affairs, Canadian Gas Association, 613-748-0057 ext. 341, 613-614-3280