July 8, 2026
Among the winners of ERA's $37 million Drilling Technology Challenge, 4 out of 10 projects are for Geothermal applications!
ERA committed $37 million to 10 projects valued at nearly $179 million to advance next-generation drilling technologies and reinforce Alberta’s position as a global leader. This significant investment demonstrates how digitalization, automation, electrification, and advanced subsurface engineering are reshaping drilling operations in the province and creating new opportunities across energy, geothermal, and other resource development sectors.
Projects supported through this program showcase next-generation drilling technologies, including robotic automation, AI-enabled energy management, advanced downhole sensing, precision well navigation, hybrid power systems, and geothermal innovations that improve performance while reducing emissions, costs, and operational impacts.
The Challenge brings together Alberta innovators with international technology leaders and project partners from Switzerland, Norway, the Netherlands, the United States, and across Alberta, reinforcing the province’s role as a global hub for drilling and subsurface technology development.
Projects are estimated to create approximately 1,237 person-years of employment, from supporting skilled trades and construction workers during peak buildout to sustaining long-term operational and maintenance jobs that anchor communities and industrial competitiveness for decades. They are also expected to add $199 million in GDP for Alberta by 2030.
THE FOLLOWING PROJECTS WERE SELECTED FOR FUNDING:
Borobotics AG
Total Project Value: $8,880,000 | ERA Funding: $4,400,000
Location: Winterthur, Switzerland and Calgary, AB
Develop a compact and autonomous electric drilling robot for geothermal boreholes used in ground-source heat pumps.
Eavor Technologies Inc.
Total Project Value: $83,330,000 | ERA Funding: $8,000,000
Location: Calgary, AB
Upgrade Eavor’s core technology with a suite of solutions to enable access to superhot geothermal resources, increase energy output, and reduce the levelized cost of electricity.
Phase Advanced Sensor Systems Corp.
Total Project Value: $1,570,000 | ERA Funding: $420,000
Location: Edmonton, AB
Develop and test high-temperature downhole pressure sensors for geothermal wells operating above 200°C, where current solutions are unavailable.
Rodatherm Energy Ltd.
Total Project Value: $46,400,000 | ERA Funding: $8,000,000
Location: Milford, Utah, U.S.A.
Adapt oil & gas drilling solutions and novel wellbore architectures for use in closed-loop geothermal systems to produce firm zero-emission electricity.
APPROVAL PROCESS
Projects were selected through ERA’s competitive, expert-led review process. A team of experts in science, engineering, business development, commercialization, financing, and greenhouse gas quantification conducted an independent, rigorous, transparent review overseen by a Fairness Monitor. ERA’s Board of Directors made the final funding decision based on these experts’ recommendations.
KNOWLEDGE SHARING
All ERA funding recipients are required to produce a final outcomes report that is shared publicly for the broader benefit of Alberta. Funding recipients will be required to report on project outcomes, achievements, and lessons learned, including GHG reductions, job creation, and other environmental, economic, and social benefits.
STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT
The Call was open to projects involving technologies at the field test/pilot, commercial demonstration, or first-of-kind commercial deployment stage of development, i.e., targeting a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) range of approximately TRL 7-9+.
Field Test/Pilot: The technology or innovation is ready to be field-tested in an operational environment. Projects in this category include the scale-up of prototypes to a representative pilot scale and subsequent in-field testing of pilot units.
Commercial Demonstration: The technology or innovation is approaching the final commercial product, and representative systems have been built. Projects in this category include demonstrating near- or fully-commercial-scale systems in an operational environment.
First-of-Kind Commercial Deployment: The technology is ready for first-of-kind commercial deployment. Projects in this category will involve the design, construction, and operation of the technology in its final commercial form, intending to operate the technology for its full commercial life.
ABOUT THE DRILLING TECHNOLOGY CHALLENGE
The Drilling Technology Challenge was designed to support technologies that improve the cost, efficiency, safety, and environmental performance of drilling operations. The Challenge was designed to help advance emerging opportunities in geothermal energy, carbon capture and storage (CCS), critical minerals extraction, oil and gas, and more, while reducing costs and emissions associated with resource access and extraction.
Building on more than a century of drilling expertise, Alberta is uniquely positioned to lead in developing next-generation solutions that reduce costs, mitigate risks, and unlock economic and environmental benefits. ERA’s new funding leverages the province’s skilled workforce and established infrastructure to keep Alberta as a world leader in safe, cost-effective, low-emission drilling.
Applicants were encouraged to demonstrate clear market demand, measurable environmental benefits, and strong potential for commercial adoption in Alberta and beyond. Partnerships were encouraged.
ABOUT EMISSIONS REDUCTION ALBERTA
Since 2009, ERA has committed $1.17 billion to 352 projects valued at more than $11.3 billion, with funded technologies projected to reduce emissions by 28.1 million tonnes of CO2e by 2030 and 83.1 million tonnes by 2050 while generating significant economic benefits for Alberta.
ABOUT TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION AND EMISSIONS REDUCTION (TIER) REGULATION
The Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) Regulation is at the core of emissions management in Alberta. The TIER system implements Alberta’s industrial carbon pricing and emissions trading system. TIER helps industrial facilities find innovative ways to reduce emissions and invest in clean technology to stay competitive and save money.