A Swiss firm specializing in carbon capture is establishing its Canadian base in Calgary. Climeworks, known for pioneering commercial direct carbon capture technology, extracts carbon dioxide from the air for underground storage. Presently, a small team is working from a shared space at the Energy Transition Centre foundation in downtown Calgary.
In the upcoming fall, Climeworks will deploy a mobile testing facility to assess the technology’s performance in Alberta’s cold winter conditions. The facility, currently undergoing trials in Saudi Arabia, will be relocated to Alberta during the summer.
Following this phase, the company plans to construct a large-scale plant, potentially its largest project to date. Although the timeline and specific site are pending, Climeworks has confirmed it will be located somewhere within Alberta. Currently, the company operates two direct air capture plants in Iceland, with the larger plant, named Mammoth, targeting an annual removal of 36,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, equivalent to emissions from approximately 8,400 vehicles in a year.
In a recent development, Climeworks partnered with Coca-Cola to use captured carbon for carbonating sparkling water. The company, founded by Christoph Gebald in 2009, is expanding its workforce, with plans to hire more local staff in Calgary.
Alberta is recognized as a ‘global leader’ by Catie O’Neal of Carbon Removal Canada, citing the region’s expertise in the energy sector, supportive regulatory framework, ample geological storage capacity for carbon, and significant tax incentives from both provincial and federal authorities. Jorden Dye from the Pembina Institute’s Carbon Dioxide Removal Centre noted that Alberta’s attractiveness for such projects has grown as the U.S. reduces its backing for direct carbon capture initiatives.
Deep Sky, a Montreal-based company, initiated carbon capture operations in Innisfail, Alta., last year. Climeworks, currently employing around 400 individuals globally, is poised to increase its local workforce in the Calgary region. The previous year saw a slight reduction in staff numbers, described by Gebald as a necessary adjustment following a period of rapid expansion.