CALGARY, AB (June 11, 2026) Yesterday, at the Global Energy Show, the Honourable Grant Hunter, Minister of Environment and Protected Areas, Alberta, alongside the consortium behind the NGIF Emissions Testing Centre Program, announced its rebrand to the Methane Innovation Collaborative (MIC), marking a significant evolution of one of Canada’s leading methane reduction initiatives.
Established in 2021 as a consortium of NGIF Accelerator, Tourmaline Oil Corp., and the University of Calgary, the program has grown into a nationally recognized hub for testing, validating, and commercializing technologies that measure, monitor, and reduce methane emissions. The rebrand reflects the program’s expanded scope and reinforces its position as Canada’s largest coordinated effort dedicated to accelerating methane reduction solutions across Alberta, Canada, and the globe.
Image: From left, John Adams, President and CEO, NGIF Accelerator; Sam Ashoori, Senior Program Manager, NGIF Accelerator; Hon. Grant Hunter, Minister, Environment and Protected Areas, Alberta; Akhil Abat, COO, NGIF Accelerator; Scott Volk, Director of Emissions & Innovation, Tourmaline; and Eamonn Irvine, Emissions & Innovation Engineer, Tourmaline, at the launch at the Global Energy Show.
“Alberta’s proven approach to methane reductions is simple: focus on practical solutions, support industry adoption and deliver results. Innovative, made-in-Alberta technologies are lowering costs, creating jobs and reducing emissions today while keeping industry competitive and strengthening Alberta’s energy sector for the future.” Grant Hunter, Minister of Environment and Protected Areas.
“Methane reduction is one of the fastest and most effective pathways to lowering emissions, and the work happening through this collaborative reflects the urgency of the challenge and the scale of the opportunity ahead,” said John Adams, President and CEO of NGIF Accelerator. “The Methane Innovation Collaborative name puts our purpose front and center, strengthening our ability to attract innovators, support operators, and showcase Canada’s leadership on the global stage.”
“The Methane Innovation Collaborative represents a powerful model for how academia, industry, and innovation organizations can work together to address one of the most important climate and energy challenges of our time,” said Professor Ian Gates at the University of Calgary. “MIC creates an ecosystem where methane reduction technologies can be rigorously tested, validated, and accelerated to deployment. This collaboration is helping Canada strengthen its global leadership in methane emissions management while supporting innovation, environmental stewardship, and the responsible development of energy resources.”
“Tourmaline is proud to be a part of the Methane Innovation Collaborative (MIC) and support methane emissions reduction in Canada,” said Scott Volk, Director of Emissions & Innovation at Tourmaline. “Our field site provides opportunities to test technologies in a real-world environment and support wider adoption in the industry. Canada continues to demonstrate global leadership in methane reduction, and this rebrand signals our continued commitment to supporting that work.”
About the Methane Innovation Collaborative (MIC)
MIC, formerly known as the NGIF ETC Program, is Canada’s largest coordinated effort focused on accelerating methane emissions management technologies. A consortium of NGIF Accelerator, Tourmaline Oil Corp., and the University of Calgary, MIC provides cleantech innovators with a controlled lab environment at the University of Calgary, live field trial capabilities at Tourmaline, and commercialization support from NGIF Accelerator to pilot, validate, and commercialize methane measurement, monitoring, and mitigation technologies.
MIC is currently supported by the Government of Alberta (Environment and Protected Areas).
About NGIF Accelerator
NGIF Accelerator is the not-for-profit arm of NGIF Capital and operates all technology and innovation programs. The NGIF Accelerator mandate is to de-risk and accelerate technology development by supporting startups through their pilot projects, field trials, and industry validation. It will coordinate with federal and provincial governments to co-fund projects to advance market commercialization. NGIF Accelerator currently operates the Industry Grants program and administers the Methane Innovation Collaborative.
About Tourmaline
Tourmaline is Canada’s largest and most active natural gas producer dedicated to producing the lowest-development-cost natural gas in North America. We are an investment grade exploration and production company providing strong and predictable operating and financial performance through the development of our two core areas in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin. With our existing large reserve base, decades-long drilling inventory, relentless focus on execution, cost management, safety and environmental performance improvement, we are excited to provide shareholders an excellent return on capital and an attractive source of income through our base dividend and surplus free cash flow distribution strategies.
About University of Calgary
The University of Calgary is a research-intensive post-secondary institution in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, with over 26,000 undergraduate students, over 6,000 graduate students and is ranked in the top 5 research universities in Canada. The general mandate of the University of Calgary is to provide world-leading research and training to contribute to the productivity of Canada by solving grand challenges that humanity faces (e.g., climate change, sustainability, health, energy poverty and security, clean and safe environments, etc.)
MIC Program and User Information:
John Adams
President and CEO, NGIF Accelerator
President and CEO, NGIF Capital Corporation
Media Information:
Ayoola Ajibare
Communications & Content Strategy Specialist,
