On December 12, 2025, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade, Yasir Naqvi, on behalf of the Honourable Tim Hodgson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, announced nearly $5 million in funding to the University of Calgary for the Energy Modelling Hub, a national initiative to advance evidence-based decision-making in the energy sector.
Additionally, over $2 million was announced to support four projects under the Energy Innovation Program. These projects focus on providing insights on industrial decarbonization and the role of electricity, low-carbon fuels and carbon-reduction technologies as we transition to net zero by 2050.
Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program (SREPs)
Project name: Energy Modelling Hub
Recipient: The Governors of the University of Calgary
Location: National
Funding amount: $4.9 million
Description: This project is a national initiative dedicated to strengthening Canada’s energy modelling ecosystem and advancing evidence-based decision making to support the country’s transition to a decarbonized, reliable and equitable energy system.
Energy Innovation Program – National Energy Systems Modelling Call
Project name: Enhancing CAN-REGEN to Comprehensively Assess Canada’s Economy-Wide Net-Zero Transition
Recipient: EPRI International, Inc.
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Funding amount: $674,280
Description: The objective of this project is to update the Canadian Regional Economy, Greenhouse Gas and Energy (CAN-REGEN) model to better reflect dynamics related to fuel supply and sector coupling between electricity and end-use sectors.
Project name: A Robust Analysis of Uncertainty in Technology Deployment to Guide Optimal Investment Priorities in Industrial Innovation for a Net-Zero Canada
Recipient: Energy Super Modelers and International Analysis (ESMIA) Consulting
Location: Blainville, Quebec
Funding amount: $500,000
Description: This project led by ESMIA Consulting will use a proprietary optimization model, NATEM, to study the optimal mix of industrial decarbonization technologies across industrial sectors in Canada.
Project name: Application of the Provincial-Scale GCAM–Canada Model for Assessment of Carbon Removal and Reduction Technologies in the Energy and Building Sectors
Recipient: Governors of the University of Alberta
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Funding amount: $467,928
Description: This project will develop a fully open-source Canadian version of the Global Change Analysis Model (GCAM), an Integrated Assessment Model (the primary type of modelling tool used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in developing emissions trajectories). The model will be used to assess carbon removal and reduction technologies’ effectiveness to 2100 in the energy and building sectors.
Project name: Decarbonizing Heat in Canadian Industry
Recipient: Simon Fraser University
Location: Burnaby, British Columbia
Funding amount: $450,000
Description: This project will develop a fully open-source energy economy simulation model to specifically examine the competitiveness of Canadian industry by determining if zero-emission, low- to high-temperature heat can be produced at a cost that maintains economic viability.