Deep Sky, the Canadian carbon removal project developer, has selected a site in Innisfail, Alberta to build the world's first carbon removal innovation and commercialization center, Deep Sky Labs.
Deep Sky to build world's first carbon removal innovation and commercialization center
Strategically located an hour north of Calgary, Innisfail is an emerging clean energy hub. Deep Sky Labs' mission is to accelerate the path to low cost, low energy intensity and highly scalable carbon dioxide removal (CDR) to produce high integrity carbon credits. The project represents an industry first for the private development of scalable CDR, the first cross-technology project in the world, and the first commercial direct air capture project in Canada.
The Deep Sky Labs site is located within 5 acres of a municipality-owned industrial park at 6015 35th Street, neighboring other proposed green projects including a solar farm and waste-to-energy plant. Engineering and design work has been conducted in partnership with leading engineering firm BBA, and construction will begin imminently. The facility will be operational this winter, and will have the capacity to capture 3,000 tons of CO2 per year, or 30,000 tons over a 10-year period, via up to 10 different technologies. It will also include room for future expansion.
Labs makes it possible for many different Direct Air Capture (DAC) concepts to be tested simultaneously. Its tech-agnostic nature decreases delivery and operational risks while increasing the speed at which the industry can scale. This novel approach solves for the delivery delays that have plagued past global carbon removal projects. To start, eight state-of-the-art DAC technologies will be deployed at the facility, sitting side by side with standardized instrumentation for the collection of operational data. Here, they'll be tested and optimized for performance year-round in the Canadian climate and validated before committing to them at commercial scale. 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 will have full access to renewable power and carbon storage, enabling a life cycle analysis to ultimately produce verified carbon removal credits validated by third-party carbon registries. These elite DAC providers include Airhive, Avnos, Phlair (formerly Carbon Atlantis), Greenlyte Carbon Technologies, Mission Zero, NEG8 Carbon, Skyrenu, and Skytree. Together, the partners represent the world's foremost CO2 carbon removal technologies, convening for the first time in Canada, the carbon removal capital of the world.
Labs is purpose-built with space for 10 different DAC technologies, with room to expand. While eight world class technologies are already confirmed, Deep Sky Labs is actively seeking additional technology developers interested in piloting their direct air capture technology. Priority criteria include a pathway to low energy intensity (1,000 kWh per ton of CO2 captured or lower at scale), simplicity and focus on removing CO2 (no utilization pathways), manufacturing and scalability, and a strong team. Any DAC providers interested in deploying at Deep Sky Labs can fill out this form.
"I cannot overstate the significance of the world's first carbon removal innovation and commercialization center, and what this means for Canada and our planet at large," said Damien Steel, Deep Sky CEO. "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. 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. Prioritizing quality and speed, we're proud that this facility went from concept to construction in less than a year."
The CO2 collected at Labs will be trucked to an existing well at the Meadowbrook Carbon Storage Hub facility operated by Deep Sky's storage partner Bison Low Carbon Ventures, north of Edmonton in Sturgeon County. Bison is advancing the Meadowbrook project through the regulatory approval process and has a dedicated injection well capable of handling all Labs volume. Their Deep Sky partnership also makes Bison the first in North America to support a DAC hub.
A recent survey revealed that Albertans are increasingly concerned about climate change and support technologies like carbon removal to address it. There is majority agreement that Canada should use carbon removal technology to help fight climate change in Calgary (67%) and Edmonton (57%), with more than half (51%) of those elsewhere in Alberta in agreement. A majority of Albertans (65%) want to learn more about carbon removal, while 29% would be interested in a job in the industry.
"The Town of Innisfail is thrilled to work with Deep Sky and welcomes them to our community," said Innisfail Mayor Jean Barclay. "To have a company of this magnitude who is on the leading edge of carbon removal technology located in Innisfail is truly exciting for us. The selection of Innisfail by Deep Sky speaks volumes to our business readiness, our willingness to respond at a pace that is necessary in today's business environment, and our vision for a new state-of-the-art industrial park."
Deep Sky Labs will generate high-demand green jobs in Innisfail. Approximately 80 workers will be employed for the construction phase, with another 15 for annual operations. The project has the potential to infuse more than $110M in the Innisfail community over 10 years. Subsequent commercial plants across Canada will employ approximately 1,000 workers for construction and 150 for annual operations.
Deep Sky helps enterprises meet their decarbonization commitments through high integrity carbon removal credits used to offset company emissions. Carbon removal credits produced by Deep Sky projects are traced end-to-end with digital Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) and are validated against the most rigorous carbon standards to ensure complete additionality and durability. Deep Sky's projects are designed to reduce risks typically associated with carbon removals while increasing the community and economic impact of an enterprise's decarbonization budget.
Labs accomplishes the first phase of this plan, allowing Deep Sky to accelerate the development of multiple technologies and scale them at commercial projects across Canada. Deep Sky Labs and future Deep Sky projects will issue carbon removal credits via carbon registries such that they meet global regulatory and industry-led carbon integrity schemes.
