Hi there,

Toronto Climate Week kicked off this week - I’ll be in town for the week and hosting two events on data centre demand on the grid and FOAK projects. If you’re in town, would love to see you there!

In this week’s issue, we take a look at Rio Tinto’s $1.5B low-carbon aluminum expansion in Quebec. It’s the first part of a push towards fully zero-emission production, building a structural edge in a metal that the energy transition can’t do without.

Elsewhere in climate tech:

Quick housekeeping note: We’re switching to a bi-weekly round-up for the summer (unless something really interesting comes up).

What happened: Rio Tinto started up phase one of its new $1.5B low-carbon aluminum smelter expansion in Saguenay, QC - the first major aluminum project in North America in more than a decade.

The global mining company isn't stopping there: the same day, Canada committed $100M to ELYSIS, Rio Tinto's joint venture with Alcoa to fully eliminate emissions from aluminum smelting.

The details: The expansion brings Rio's AP60 technology online, paired with Quebec hydropower, to produce 220,000 tonnes of aluminum a year with one-sixth the emissions of the industry average and some of the lowest production costs in its industry. Rio is now exploring AP60 deployments in Finland and India.

ELYSIS goes further, eliminating carbon emissions entirely by replacing carbon anodes with inert materials and emitting pure oxygen instead of CO2. The tech is still scaling, but is already being used in some Apple products.

The context: Aluminum is the world's second most-used metal, but it carries a heavy carbon footprint, contributing about 2% of global emissions. Most of that comes from the amount of energy used and its carbon intensity - smelting is so electricity hungry it's sometimes called "frozen electricity".

Why it matters: Aluminum isn't just for pop cans - demand is surging across energy transition tech like EVs and power transmission, as well as aerospace and defence.

Geopolitical pressure is making domestic clean supply a strategic priority. Canada is the world's fourth-largest producer, and Quebec's nine hydropower-fed smelters (of Canada's 10) are a carbon and cost advantage that's hard to replicate. Even under 50% U.S. tariffs, The Logic reports Rio's U.S. exports have returned to normal.

AP60 and ELYSIS are a two-step industrial decarbonization roadmap: one live and scaling today, one closing the remaining gap to zero.

The bottom line: Quebec is becoming a global anchor for clean aluminum as the world races for supply. Rio is proving that low-carbon can also mean low-cost - and a long-term strategic edge.

Arca received $2 million from NRC's IRAP Clean Tech program to bring its carbon mineralization technology from lab scale to field deployment. IRAP Clean Tech - the replacement for SDTC - is slowing ramping up funding activity.

Anodyne Chemistries secured $1 million in follow on funding from NorthX for its CO2-to-chemicals pilot plant in BC.

Climeworks signed a 10-year carbon removal supply deal with TD Bank to deliver a portfolio of multiple carbon removal pathways and technologies across North America.

US-based Graphyte plans to build Canada's first carbon-casting plant in B.C, compressing forestry waste into sealed bricks for permanent underground storage.

ChargeHub launched a charging reservation platform for EV fleets with AXSO, allowing fleet operators to book charging slots with network operators, and guaranteeing customers before building new infrastructure.

South Korea's Hanwha Power signed a strategic MOU with Pembina Pipeline to develop waste heat recovery power systems. The partnership is part of Hanwha's industrial and technological benefits (ITB) contribution for its bid to build Canadian submarines.

FireSwarm Technologies also secured an ITB investment with KONGSBURG Canada for its autonomous ultra-heavy-lift drone systems.

Building backwards: Ontario passed legislation to kill Toronto's green building standards, ending requirements like EV charging and energy efficiency.

EV rebate returns: Canadians claimed $122 million in iZEV rebates since the program relaunched in February. But dealerships are struggling with slow reimbursements.

Climate caucus: Former environment minister Steven Guilbeault resigned as a Liberal MP citing the Carney government's backtracking on climate policy. The PM is facing internal pressure too, with a small group of MPs sending a letter expressing their concerns.

Carbon pricing setback: Algoma Steel paid 71% more in carbon pricing payments despite investing almost $1B to switch to electric arc furnaces. Ontario's carbon pricing system reclassified the steelmaker based on electric production standards - not it's historical emissions.

Solar fees: Alberta rolled out a new "recycling" fee for solar panels in the province, collecting $14 per panel. Meanwhile, the province carries over $1B in liabilities for orphan oil and gas wells.

Nuclear expansion: Cohere co-founder Nick Frosst called for more nuclear power plants to reach 100% renewable energy for AI growth and energy security. Data centre demand is accelerating small and large scale reactor development in the U.S.

QUICK HITS

🚀 NorthX Open Intake: Seeking climate hard tech solutions that can drive industrial decarbonization and deliver economic benefits for BC and Canada.

🚀 Advanced Materials for Energy and Defence: advancing applied R&D for clean energy and defence materials. Apply by July 3rd.

🗓 No Shortcuts: What It Takes to Commercialize Climate Tech: We’re cohosting this candid panel from the people who have been there. June 3rd, Toronto.

🗓 Clean Compute: Canada's Grid in the AI Era: Join us for this conversation with Mysa, e-Zinc, SPUR Innovation and others on how Canada’s grid needs to evolve for a new reality. June 4th, Toronto.

💼 Senior Creative Strategist at Jetson

💼 Senior Manager / Director, Communications at Carbon Removal Canada

💼 Vice President, Communications & External Affairs at Eavor

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