CALGARY, ALBERTA – December 22, 2020 – Acceleware® Ltd. (“Acceleware” or the “Company”) (TSXV: AXE), a leading developer of technologies targeting low-cost and clean extraction of heavy oil and bitumen, including enabling the development of low-carbon initiatives, is pleased to announce that a second major oil sands producer (the “Producer”) has agreed to provide financial and technical support for the commercial-scale pilot test of its RF XL radio frequency heating system at Marwayne, Alberta. The Producer will provide funding of $2 million and technical expertise in support of the Marwayne RF XL pilot under the terms of an agreement with Acceleware.
In exchange for the funding, the Producer will be able to provide input into pilot designs and test specifications prior to completion, and will receive, along with the other pilot participants, exclusive access to the full set of detailed technical data and test results for one year following completion of the pilot. Acceleware has granted the Producer prioritized rights to host a subsequent test of Acceleware’s RF XL technology, preferred pricing on pre-commercial products, and preferred access to RF XL products over operators who do not participate in the pilot.
“Securing a total of $4 million in financial support plus valuable technical input from two major oil sands operators is a real testament to the potential benefits of RF XL.” said Geoff Clark, CEO of Acceleware. “We are well underway with the execution of the pilot at Marwayne, and we are excited to have secured investment from an industry leader who is committed to reducing the carbon footprint, water use and land disruption of oil sands and heavy oil.”
With the advancements achieved thus far in 2020, Acceleware has moved into the execution phase of the Pilot, which includes ordering long-lead equipment and materials. Currently, Acceleware estimates construction will begin as early as January 2021, followed by heating as early as March 2021. While the initial heating phase is planned for approximately six months, this period may be extended to allow Acceleware to capture additional information on the efficiency and operation of the technology. The cost of the Pilot is expected to be between $16 and $20 million, of which $18 million has been raised by the company. This includes $5.25 million in funding from Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) and $5 million from Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA) in addition to the $4 million provided by two major oil sands producers. Receipt of funding presumes the achievement of milestones required for receipt of such funding. Acceleware continues to seek additional sources of funding for the Pilot.
With a successful Pilot, numerous potential environmental benefits could be realized by oil sands producers deploying RF XL. Acceleware’s RF XL electromagnetic heating technology generates near-zero GHG emissions given it can be powered entirely by renewable electricity, nuclear, or other clean power sources. In addition, RF XL eliminates the need for fresh water, and requires less land use, offering a cleaner and more sustainable solution to meet the world’s growing demand for energy. For further information about the Pilot, to review prior news releases and learn more about Acceleware’s innovative RF XL technology, please visit the Company’s website at acceleware.com.
ABOUT ACCELEWARE:
Acceleware (www.acceleware.com) is an innovator of clean-tech oil and gas technologies comprised of two business units: Radio Frequency (RF) Enhanced Oil Recovery and Seismic Imaging Software.
Acceleware is developing RF XL, its patented and patent-pending low-cost, low-carbon production technology for heavy oil and oil sands that is materially different from any heavy oil recovery technique used today. Acceleware's vision is that electrification of heavy oil and oil sands production can be made possible through RF XL, supporting a transition to much cleaner energy production that can quickly bend the emissions curve downward. Further, Acceleware’s RF XL technology could be a key component of an end-to-end integrated carbon management system that can eliminate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with heavy oil and oil sands production, whether for fossil fuels, or for future clean bitumen by-products such as petrochemicals, carbon fibre, and blue or green hydrogen production. RF XL uses no water, requires no solvent, has a small physical footprint, can be redeployed from site to site, and can be applied to a multitude of reservoir types. In shallow oil sands implementations, no tailings ponds will be required. Acceleware has partnered with Saa Dene Group (co-founded by Jim Boucher) to create Acceleware | Kisâstwêw to raise the profile, adoption, and value of Acceleware technologies. The shared vision of the partnership is to improve the environmental and economic performance of the energy sector by supporting ideals that are important to Indigenous peoples, including respect for land, water, and clean air.
The Company’s seismic imaging software solutions are state-of-the-art for high fidelity imaging, providing the most accurate and advanced imaging available for oil exploration in complex geologies. Acceleware is a public company listed on Canada’s TSX Venture Exchange under the trading symbol “AXE”.
ABOUT SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT TECHNOLOGY CANADA (SDTC)
SDTC helps Canadian companies develop and deploy competitive, clean technology solutions, to help solve some of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges: climate change, clean air, clean water and clean soil.
By taking a cross-Canada approach, from seed to scale, and in partnership with the best peers and experts, SDTC is the global benchmark for sustainable development innovation programming.
As an independent federal foundation and flagship program, SDTC’s funding of Canadian entrepreneurs has created jobs, growth and long-term prosperity for Canada. Since inception, SDTC has invested over $1.15 billion in 400 companies, creating 13,000 jobs. SDTC companies have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 18.1 megatonnes annually, equivalent to the energy it takes to heat 600 million homes.
ABOUT EMISSIONS REDUCTION ALBERTA (ERA):
For more than 10 years, ERA has been investing the revenues from the carbon price paid by large final emitters to accelerate the development and adoption of innovative clean technology solutions. Since ERA was established in 2009, they have committed $611 million toward 185 projects worth $4.4 billion that are helping to reduce GHGs, create competitive industries and are leading to new business opportunities in Alberta. These projects are estimated to deliver cumulative reductions of 34.7 million tonnes of CO₂e by 2030.
NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION AND OTHER ADVISORIES
This news release contains “forward-looking information” within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information generally means information about an issuer’s business, capital, or operations that are prospective in nature, and includes disclosure about the issuer’s prospective financial performance or financial position.
The forward-looking information in this press release can be identified by terms such as “believes”, “estimates”, “plans”, “potential”, and “will”, and includes information about the anticipated benefits of the RF XL technology, the timeline, cost and financing of the RF XL Pilot, and its subsequent commercialization. Acceleware assumes that research and development effort including the commercial-scale test plans will result in commercial-ready products that deliver the benefits indicated in initial testing, and that future capital raising efforts will be successful.
Actual results may vary from the forward-looking information in this press release due to certain material risk factors. These risk factors are described in detail in Acceleware’s continuous disclosure documents, which are filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.
Acceleware assumes no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking information in this press release unless it is required to do so under Canadian securities legislation.
This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described in this release in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “U.S. Securities Act”), or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.
DISCLAIMER
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.