Deep Sky plans Alberta carbon removal centre
Deep Sky, a Canadian carbon removal technology developer, said August 7 it would develop the world’s first carbon removal innovation and commercialisation centre in the central Alberta town of Innisfail.
The facility is being advanced by Deep Sky Labs, which aims to accelerate the path to low cost, low energy intensity and scalable carbon dioxide removal (CDR) to produce “high integrity” carbon credits.
“This project represents a world first and serves as a testing ground from which the nascent industry can grow into Canada’s multi-trillion-dollar enterprise,” Deep Sky CEO Damien Steel said. “We’re in the business of scaling carbon removals, and this first facility represents a giant step forward for the health of our planet and our economy.”
Construction on the facility will begin “imminently”, Deep Sky said, and it should be operational this winter, with the capacity to capture 3,000 tonnes/year of CO2 from up to 10 different direct air capture (DAC) technologies.
To start, eight DAC technologies will be tested side-by-side using standardised instrumentation for the collection of operational data. Proprietary Deep Sky software will track and benchmark all operational data to accelerate the R&D of technology partners and the industry at large – another industry first.
The eight technologies – from Airhive, Avnos, Phlair (formerly Carbon Atlantis), Greenlyte Carbon Technologies, Mission Zero, NEG8 Carbon Solutions Skyrenu and Skytree – will have access to renewable power and carbon storage.
The site is located in close proximity to a solar farm and a waste-to-energy plant. CO2 collected at the site will be trucked to an existing injection well at the Meadowbrook Carbon Storage Hub north of Edmonton, operated by Deep Sky’s storage partner, Bison Low Carbon Ventures. Bison is currently advancing its Meadowbrook hub, with 3mn tonnes/year of CO2 storage capacity, through the Alberta regulatory process and hopes to begin storage operations as early as mid-2025, subject to receipt of all necessary approvals.