Canadian Carbon Removal Funding

Montreal-based startup Deep Sky recently received a $40-million grant from Bill Gates' Breakthrough Energy Catalyst fund to accelerate its Deep Sky Alpha project. Located in Innisfail, Alberta, this cutting-edge initiative aims to directly capture carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere and safely store it underground in a deep saline aquifer.

Construction of the facility is currently underway, with operations expected to begin by April 2025. CEO Damien Steel describes the facility as one of North America’s first full-scale direct air capture sites using renewable energy. Deep Sky will pilot up to 14 carbon removal technologies, evaluating their efficiency and scalability for commercial use.

Direct air capture, unlike traditional carbon capture from industrial emissions, removes historic atmospheric CO₂. While the technology is energy-intensive and costly, innovations like Deep Sky’s project aim to overcome these barriers. Carbon captured at the site will be securely stored at the Meadowbrook Carbon Storage Hub near Edmonton, marking a significant step in the global fight against climate change.