Emissions Reduction Alberta is investing more than $41 million into the province's construction and electricity sectors as part of $91 million allotted for its Industrial Transformation Challenge. The arm's-length agency of the Alberta government is making the investment to improve resiliency and efficiency in building and energy. "These investments are cutting emissions, creating opportunities for Albertans, and positioning Alberta as a global leader in the development and deployment of clean technology," CEO Justin Riemer said in a news release.
RoBIM Technologies is among the recipients, getting $2.81 million to put towards a $6.2-million project to use robotics and AI to manufacture construction components with less waste. RoBIM is using robots to build trusses for Honomobo in a pilot arranged through Edmonton Unlimited's Built World Tech program. The pilot may validate RoBIM's potential for nationwide success, given that there are roughly 1,100 modular home builders in Canada, Alton told Taproot earlier this year. "Having real-life prefabrication projects — like with Honomobo — battle-tests our solution for the broader market," Alton added following the ERA announcement.
On the energy side, the Canadian Strategic Missions Corporation will receive $5 million from ERA to develop small-scale nuclear technology in partnership with the University of Alberta. The $10-million project will build an unfueled test reactor as part of a project to provide reliable, emissions-free power for communities and industries. "This funding … is a major step towards our goal of delivering sovereign energy solutions for Canada's defence and economic prosperity," founder and CEO Daniel Sax said in a release. "A new research reactor will be a key foundational block on which not only we, but the entire nuclear energy industry in Alberta can build, delivering innovation, skilled labour, academic excellence, and technological development."