Zurich/Montreal – Climeworks, a specialist in the capture of CO2 from the air, and Montreal-based project developer Deep Sky will jointly develop large-scale carbon capture and storage facilities. The aim is to scale up the technology as quickly as possible.
The Zurich-based cleantech company Climeworks and the state-funded cleantech company Deep Sky from Montreal in the Canadian province of Quebec want to make the next leap in scale together. According to a press release, both will explore the development of large-scale projects for the direct capture and storage of CO2 from the air (Direct Air Capture and Storage, DAC+S) in Canada. The initial goal is to remove up to 1 million tons of CO2 per year from the air with a first plant before 2030.
This, according to Climeworks, is “a critical milestone” for carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies that must be achieved “before further scaling to gigatonne capacity is possible”. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), CDR solutions must be able to remove an estimated 3 to 12 gigatons of CO2 per year by 2050 if the 1.5 degree target of the Paris Agreement is to be achieved. Climeworks is the world’s first and currently only CDR company to operate a large-scale commercial DAC+S plant, Orca in Iceland.
According to Climeworks, the collaboration with Deep Sky fits into the larger context of the favorable political environment in Canada for these technologies. According to Climeworks’ Chief Development Officer Daniel Nathan, “It marks a new chapter in the rapid development of Climeworks and solidifies our global leadership position in carbon removal. Canada’s abundant and clean energy resources will be a catalyst for our efforts to bring our proven, high-quality solution to the country, building on our collaboration with Deep Sky.” ce/mm
