(SeaPRwire) –   CALGARY, AB, March 31, 2026 – Genome Alberta, backed by the Government of Alberta, is excited to unveil five new initiatives totaling $2.9 million, aimed at accelerating the wider adoption of genomic technologies to enhance environmental outcomes in Alberta’s energy industry.

Genomics is a big data discipline that enables the study of genetic material across all living organisms. Leveraging machine learning and AI tools helps us understand molecular-level functions—including how microbes contribute to environmental processes like reclamation, boost oil recovery while lowering emissions intensity, and interact with hydrogen during its production, transport, and storage.

The Genomic Innovations: Energy and Environmental Solutions program fosters collaborative projects between academic researchers and industry partners to scale genomic innovations from lab settings to real-world deployment, delivering broader benefits.

This initiative connects energy firms and researchers to bridge the gap between lab-scale innovation and field-level application, increasing the potential for commercializing novel genomic technologies.

“Innovation thrives when researchers, industry leaders, and regulators work together. By de-risking earlier-stage projects, we encourage the experimentation needed to spark new ideas and accelerate adoption. These partnerships are crucial for moving genomic tools from the lab to field-scale deployment and we are excited to be advancing these important environmental solutions that strengthen Alberta’s energy sector.”

David Bailey, CEO, Genome Alberta

“By supporting these five projects, we are ensuring we continue to provide the safe, affordable, and responsibly produced energy people and communities need. This collaboration between researchers and industry will increase energy production while protecting the environment for years to come.”

Honourable Grant Hunter, Minister, Environment and Protected Areas, Government of Alberta

New initiatives include:

• DNA Diagnostics for Reclaimed Pit Lakes: This project will advance science-driven decisions that reduce uncertainty and enable faster, defensible reclamation efforts. It will generate a set of DNA-based indicators to evaluate the ecological health of oil sands pit lakes, allowing earlier, more confident judgments about reclamation progress and outcomes.
• Dynamics of Hydrogen Storage: This work will provide operators with practical methods to keep underground hydrogen storage safe and reliable, helping Alberta build a robust hydrogen economy. Microbial activity impacts hydrogen and sour gas dynamics in underground salt caverns; genomics, predictive modeling, and chemical controls can be used to de-risk hydrogen storage in these settings.
• Soil Health Measures for Healthy Forests: These practical tools will help the industry monitor soil health, enhance reclamation practices, and support effective recovery of disturbed lands to healthy forests. By integrating genomics with traditional soil and plant measurements, this project will develop a soil health index and identify bioindicators reflecting the recovery of disturbed land.
• Protecting Hydrogen Infrastructure: Developing early warning biosensors will help the emerging hydrogen storage sector avoid unwanted microbial activity that can lead to millions in repairs, prevent environmental leaks, and maintain safe hydrogen storage across various subsurface operations. New genomics-based screening tools (bioassays) will detect hydrogen-eating, corrosion-inducing microbes in pipelines and underground storage sites.
• Microbes for Lower Emission Oil Recovery: This initiative will enable increased productivity with fewer emissions, supporting Alberta’s goals to lower the carbon footprint of energy production. Simulating microbial biogas production in underground, hard-to-reach parts of oil sands reservoirs will allow models to predict conditions for enhanced oil recovery with reduced emissions.

The projects launched in January 2026 and aim to create adoptable outputs within two years.

Funding for the Genomic Innovations: Energy and Environmental Solutions initiative comes from Genome Alberta—with support from the Government of Alberta.

Learn more about these projects at genomealberta.ca/project-portfolio/.

About Genome Alberta

Genome Alberta is working toward a better future through genomics innovation. Our mission is to promote and support genomics solutions that create value and investment opportunities via excellent science, technology and application development, collaborations, and partnerships. We focus on priority areas in health, agriculture, environment & energy, and forestry, driving growth across sectors while helping develop Alberta’s next generation of talented innovators.

For more information on Genome Alberta, please visit genomealberta.ca.

Related Information

• Supporting Genomics Innovation in Alberta, May 16, 2024

SOURCE Genome Alberta