Canada Invests In Clean Technology For Sudbury Mining Industry

Sudbury’s mining and minerals industry is a leader in clean growth. This growth is vital, as developing Canada’s natural resources in more sustainable ways will create good jobs, increase competitiveness and reduce pollution as we move toward a clean energy future.

Paul Lefebvre, Parliamentary Secretary to the Honourable Seamus O’Regan, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, accompanied by Marc G. Serré, Member of Parliament for Nickel Belt, today announced a $3.5-million investment in two projects that are helping to green Canada’s mining industry.

This investment includes:

• $2 million to FVT Research, a B.C.-based manufacturer of battery-electric drive systems for the design, development and testing of a 14-ton battery-electric vehicle for underground mining activities. This project will convert one of the largest pieces of underground mining equipment from diesel to battery power.
• $1.5 million to the Mining Innovation, Rehabilitation and Applied Research Corporation (MIRARCO), a Sudbury-based non-profit, to develop a Natural Heat Exchange Engineering Technology (NHEET), which is a method for the engineering of natural heat exchangers using fractured rocks to improve air delivery in deep underground mines.

Both projects are funded through Natural Resources Canada’s Clean Growth Program, which invests in clean technology research and development projects in Canada’s energy, mining and forest sectors. The program is a $155-million investment fund that helps emerging clean technologies further reduce their impacts on air, land and water while enhancing competitiveness and creating jobs.

The Clean Growth Program also provides federal laboratory support for innovators under the Science and Technology Assistance for Cleantech initiative, intended to help bring Canadian clean technologies to market by providing federal research expertise, facilities and equipment. The federal government is pleased to support these projects with the Ontario Centres of Excellence in order to help Canada to meet its climate change goals, create economic opportunities and expand global-market opportunities.

“Our government continues to invest in projects that are positioning Canada’s mining industry to lead the clean energy future. Through ingenious ideas and dedicated partners, we are promoting competitiveness and helping ensure good mining jobs in Sudbury for years to come.”

Paul Lefebvre
Parliamentary Secretary to the Honourable Seamus O’Regan, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources

The Trudeau Government affirms its support energy projects that create a clean, sustainable, competitive natural resources sector that cuts pollution and acts on climate change.