Alberta investing $50 million over five years for water intakes at Industrial Heartland
The Government of Alberta announced more than $50 million for three new water intakes in the designated industrial heartland.
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The sprawling Alberta Industrial Heartland north of Fort Saskatchewan received a financial boost from the provincial government on Thursday.
At a news conference in Sturgeon Country, Alberta Environment and Protected Areas Minister Rebecca Schulz said the province will be kicking in more than $50 million over the next five years to support the Alberta Industrial Heartland’s designated industrial zone. The designated area north of Edmonton was created by the provincial government in October 2022 as a hub with a goal of expediting and optimizing industrial operations in the area and the province.
“This will help attract world leading industrial projects right here in the industrial heartland and ensure we have the infrastructure to support them,” said Schulz of the investment.
The money is earmarked for three new water intake facilities in the designated industrial zone. The $50 million from the province will be coupled with funding from municipalities and their partners to build the new facilities.
Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville UCP MLA Jackie Armstrong-Homeniuk said the project has been a goal of hers for some time.
“I’ve been passionately advocating for this project since my election. The construction of three new water intake facilities or, as I like to call them straws in the river, will allow industries here to continue to grow for many years to come,” Armstrong-Homeniuk said.
Currently, the largest success story of the heartland’s investment attraction is Dow’s Path2Zero. Once it is running, the facility is expected, among other things, to be the world’s first net zero carbon integrated ethylene cracker. Ethylene cracking is a carbon intensive process that is used to convert ethane gas into ethylene using heating, pressure and cooling.
Armstrong-Homeniuk, Schulz, and Alberta Industrial Heartland Association chairman David Diduck all spoke about how the investment is aimed at sending the right signals to prospective investors.
“This new intake will improve the business case for companies choosing to locate in the heartland,” he said. Diduck is also reeve of Lamont County.
The borders of the Alberta Industrial Heartland include parts of Edmonton, Fort Saskatchewan and Sturgeon, Lamont and Strathcona counties.
While all of the speakers touched on the announcement’s intended effect of attracting more investment, when Diduck was asked what projects were in the works that would take advantage of the new infrastructure, he couldn’t offer any specifics.
“Discussions are happening, they’re happening all the time. But as of right now, no one has made a final investment decision that’s worth the use of a new intake,” he said.
Diduck said one of the municipalities within the designated industrial zone has filed an application with Alberta Environment but final approval hasn’t happened yet. He said once approval is finalized he expects the beginning of construction soon after.
Twitter/X: @ZacharyDelaney
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