OTTAWA, ON (November 12, 2021) NGIF Industry Grants, a division of NGIF Capital Corporation, is supporting the commercial demonstration of Westgen Technologies Inc.’s Engineered Power on Demand (EPOD) technology to enable the use of compressed air at remote well sites and eliminate methane emissions. Through $136,000 in approved funding, the project aims to unlock a carbon credit financing business model for EPOD-Lite deployments on legacy well sites.
Westgen Technologies Inc. is a Calgary, Alberta-based incorporation and a remote power generation company aiming to reduce development costs while improving environmental sustainability in the Canadian upstream oil and gas industry. Co-Founders Connor O’Shea and Ben Klepacki are two experienced oil and gas industry professionals who bring together engineering and commercial expertise from both the perspectives of the producer and the service provider.
“I’ve been following Connor and Ben and their Westgen EPOD for some time with their economic solution that eliminates gas venting emissions at remote well sites and helps gas production operators to exceed regulatory compliance,” said John Adams, President and CEO of NGIF Capital Corporation and Managing Partner of NGIF Cleantech Ventures. “Westgen fits well with NGIF Industry Grants and its focus on startups de-risking their clean technologies through field trials and pilots. These activities are a key part of NGIF’s integrated model of industry validation, customer creation, and market commercialization.”
Designed and built in Canada, EPOD is a solution to eliminate methane venting at remote sites by replacing the natural gas used to actuate pneumatic devices with clean and dry instrument air. Currently being deployed on new well sites, EPOD reduces capital and operating costs, improves production uptime, and earns carbon credits.
“At Westgen we firmly believe that technology isn’t a solution until there is an economic business case to enable adoption on a wide scale,” said O’Shea. “Our goal has always been to find profitable ways to eliminate gas venting and the NGIF funding is allowing us to take another step toward demonstrating that this is possible.”
“I’m excited to see projects like Westgen Technologies’ being supported by NGIF. Their technology will improve natural gas production from both a cost and emissions perspective,” noted Timothy M. Egan, President and CEO, Canadian Gas Association (CGA) and Chair, NGIF Capital Corporation, which operates NGIF Industry Grants. “When CGA created NGIF several years ago, it was this type of cooperation across the value chain, that we wanted to advance and leverage for the benefit of the entire natural gas industry.”
About NGIF Industry Grants
NGIF Industry Grants is a first-of-kind, industry-led grant organization to fund early-stage startups developing solutions to environmental and other challenges facing Canada’s natural gas sector. NGIF Industry Grants develops, demonstrates and de-risks these technology solutions through field trials and pilot projects to drive innovation and support environmental goals in Canada. NGIF Industry Grants’ investment focus is on existing natural gas production, transmission, distribution, storage, and end-use applications, as well as projects that will lead to the expanded production of emerging gaseous fuels like renewable natural gas and hydrogen. The organization has built a portfolio of startups, trusted partnerships with government for co-funding opportunities, and a robust technical evaluation investment model. NGIF Industry Grants is operated by NGIF Capital Corporation.
About NGIF Capital Corporation
NGIF Capital Corporation is a Canadian venture capital (VC) firm offering grant and equity financing for startups that deliver solutions to the environmental and other challenges facing the natural gas sector. NGIF Capital Corporation is unique in how it brings Canada’s energy industry leadership to every investment. Like other VCs, it takes new companies and their ideas from concept to commercialization. Unlike other VCs, NGIF Capital Corporation has strong connections to every part of the gas value chain, from production through to end-use, offering it a means to test, develop, and accelerate the commercial implementation of innovative gas technology wherever it fits in the sector. The model benefits consumers, investors, and Canadian society as a whole. NGIF Capital Corporation operates NGIF Industry Grants (the original Natural Gas Innovation Fund), the NGIF Emissions Testing Centre, and NGIF Cleantech Ventures. NGIF Capital Corporation is wholly owned by CGA Enterprises, a venture of the Canadian Gas Association.
About CGA
The Canadian Gas Association (CGA) is the voice of Canada’s gaseous energy delivery industry, including natural gas, renewable natural gas (RNG) and hydrogen. CGA membership includes energy distribution and transmission companies, equipment manufacturers, and suppliers of goods and services to the industry. CGA’s utility members are Canadian-owned and active in eight provinces and one territory. CGA members meet 38 per cent of Canada’s energy needs through a network of over 573,000 kilometres of underground infrastructure. The versatility and resiliency of this infrastructure allows it to deliver an ever-changing gas supply mix to over 7.3 million customer locations representing approximately two-thirds of Canadians. CGA members ensure Canadians get the affordable, reliable, clean gaseous energy they want and need. CGA is also working to constantly improve that gaseous energy offering, by driving forward innovation through the Natural Gas Innovation Fund (NGIF).
About Westgen Technologies
Westgen’s EPOD technology provides cost effective instrument air to remote well-sites to eliminate methane venting from pneumatic devices, while reducing capital costs, reducing operating costs, improving reliability and generating carbon credits for oil and gas producers. We believe that Canada can lead the industry in responsible energy development – changing how the industry is viewed worldwide and finding innovative ways to continue to grow in a sustainable and environmentally conscious way. Westgen’s mission is to develop technologies behind responsible energy development by reducing environmental impact and improving efficiencies in design.
For more information, please visit westgentech.com.
Media Information:
Sarah Robinson
Manager, Communications
NGIF Capital Corporation
613-282-1126
srobinson@cga.ca
Connor O’Shea
President
Westgen Technologies Inc.
647-546-1330
connor.oshea@westgentech.com
Fund Information:
John Adams
President and CEO, NGIF Capital Corporation
Managing Partner, NGIF Cleantech Ventures
613-748-0057
jadams@cga.ca