A Swiss company specializing in carbon capture is establishing its Canadian headquarters in Calgary. Climeworks, known for pioneering commercial direct carbon capture technology, removes carbon dioxide from the air for underground storage.
Currently, a small team is working in downtown Calgary at a shared space provided by the Energy Transition Centre foundation. In the upcoming fall, Climeworks will operate a mobile testing facility to assess the technology’s performance in Alberta’s cold winter conditions. The facility is undergoing testing in Saudi Arabia before being relocated to Alberta in the summer.
Following the testing phase, Climeworks plans to construct a large-scale plant in Alberta, potentially their largest project to date. The exact timeline and location are yet to be finalized. The company already operates two direct air capture plants in Iceland, with the Mammoth plant aiming to eliminate 36,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, equivalent to the emissions of around 8,400 vehicles in a year.
In a recent development, Climeworks partnered with Coca-Cola to use captured carbon to carbonate sparkling water. Christoph Gebald, the company’s co-founder, envisions significant growth in the region, with plans to expand the workforce in Calgary.
According to Catie O’Neal from Carbon Removal Canada, Alberta possesses the necessary elements to excel in carbon capture, including industry expertise, a supportive regulatory environment, suitable geological formations for carbon storage, and government tax incentives. Jorden Dye, director at the Pembina Institute’s Carbon Dioxide Removal Centre, highlighted Alberta’s emerging status as a global leader in carbon dioxide removal, particularly as the US reduces its direct carbon capture support.
Moreover, Deep Sky, based in Montreal, initiated carbon capture operations in Innisfail, Alta., last year. Climeworks, with a global workforce of approximately 400 employees, is set to hire more staff locally in Calgary. Gebald explained that a recent 10% reduction in the company’s workforce was a necessary adjustment after a period of rapid expansion.