It’s being dubbed as a carbon capture project even a climate skeptic could love. And Alberta is the natural place to build the Blue Sky Mine.That’s because Quebec-based Deep Sky has selected a site in Innisfail to host the world’s first carbon removal incubator dubbed, appropriately enough, Deep Sky Labs.There, the company will test emerging direct air capture technologies and determine whether they can be scaled for commercial use to third parties like oil companies and utilities.According to CEO Damien Steel it doesn’t matter what one’s views are pertaining to climate change. That’s because it just makes good economic sense.“What I keep trying to tell Canadians is if you believe in any of the science you don't have to believe in all of it. If you believe in any of it, you'll believe that we need to build that multi trillion dollar industry and Canada is super uniquely positioned to be a leader in this globally.”.Especially in Alberta where the geologic benefits of carbon storage are well known owing to almost a century of oil and gas development. Politicians like Premier Danielle Smith have long boasted that Alberta has enough room beneath our feet to store all the world’s emissions and make a pretty penny doing it.That in essence is what Deep Sky is about.Steel says many of the skill sets needed to take carbon out of the ground in the form of oil and gas are the same to put it back in.Innisfail was ideal in this regard because it sits atop an old oil field though the carbon itself is going to a storage hub near Edmonton. But it serves as an apt metaphor for the energy transition. Innisfail is also one of the few municipalities developing its own solar power project to provide renewable electricity at its industrial park.Steel estimates the rocks alone saved the company almost two years development time over similar projects in Quebec where it has to obtain geological studies..And it has the benefit of incentives.Unlike the US’ IRA, the the federal government’s Investment Tax Credit program doesn’t pick winners and losers. And it’s topped off with an additional 12% from the Alberta government. “Alberta has gone one step further which I think is is quite forward looking,” he said. Project costs weren’t disclosed, but the lab will initially employ 80 people and attract about $110 million into the municipality over 10 years starting in 2025.Naturally, the town is stoked.“Innisfail is thrilled to work with Deep Sky and welcomes them to our community,” said Mayor Jean Barclay. “To have a company of this magnitude… in Innisfail is truly exciting for us (and) speaks volumes to our business readiness, our willingness to respond at a pace that is necessary in today’s business environment, and our vision.And there’s the question of finding the right people, of which south central Alberta has in spades due to the conventional oil industry. “Most of the talent that we hire on the engineering side, no surprise comes from Alberta. This is all the engineers that have come out of the energy sector,” Steel added. “So it just from a visual and a vibe like it all just, it all just made sense, and it works. I've been going around telling Canada we have all the elements to you know, be a leader in this industry.”How big could it get?Nobody really knows, but “multi-trillions” is a conservative guess. And unlike tradition CCUS projects located at point site like refineries, DAC systems are portable and could be located anywhere.And they’re not restricted to any geographic location. China could contract Innisfail to capture carbon for them; it doesn’t really matter where the emissions come from.“Listen, I want to be very clear on this,” Steel says. “I think we need to do everything. So whenever I talk about this industry with people, they're like, oh, you know, carbon removal isn’t the answer. I'm like, hold on. I'm not suggesting carbon removal is that answer to all the world's climate problems? Because it's not. “It is part of any solution. I'm a huge supporter of carbon capture at source. I'm a huge supporter of planting more trees. I'm a huge supporter of electrifying our society. But there's just going to be certain things that are impossible to abate unless none of us plan to ever get on a plane again, which obviously it's never going to happen. So we need carbon removals to offset that last bit.”
It’s being dubbed as a carbon capture project even a climate skeptic could love. And Alberta is the natural place to build the Blue Sky Mine.That’s because Quebec-based Deep Sky has selected a site in Innisfail to host the world’s first carbon removal incubator dubbed, appropriately enough, Deep Sky Labs.There, the company will test emerging direct air capture technologies and determine whether they can be scaled for commercial use to third parties like oil companies and utilities.According to CEO Damien Steel it doesn’t matter what one’s views are pertaining to climate change. That’s because it just makes good economic sense.“What I keep trying to tell Canadians is if you believe in any of the science you don't have to believe in all of it. If you believe in any of it, you'll believe that we need to build that multi trillion dollar industry and Canada is super uniquely positioned to be a leader in this globally.”.Especially in Alberta where the geologic benefits of carbon storage are well known owing to almost a century of oil and gas development. Politicians like Premier Danielle Smith have long boasted that Alberta has enough room beneath our feet to store all the world’s emissions and make a pretty penny doing it.That in essence is what Deep Sky is about.Steel says many of the skill sets needed to take carbon out of the ground in the form of oil and gas are the same to put it back in.Innisfail was ideal in this regard because it sits atop an old oil field though the carbon itself is going to a storage hub near Edmonton. But it serves as an apt metaphor for the energy transition. Innisfail is also one of the few municipalities developing its own solar power project to provide renewable electricity at its industrial park.Steel estimates the rocks alone saved the company almost two years development time over similar projects in Quebec where it has to obtain geological studies..And it has the benefit of incentives.Unlike the US’ IRA, the the federal government’s Investment Tax Credit program doesn’t pick winners and losers. And it’s topped off with an additional 12% from the Alberta government. “Alberta has gone one step further which I think is is quite forward looking,” he said. Project costs weren’t disclosed, but the lab will initially employ 80 people and attract about $110 million into the municipality over 10 years starting in 2025.Naturally, the town is stoked.“Innisfail is thrilled to work with Deep Sky and welcomes them to our community,” said Mayor Jean Barclay. “To have a company of this magnitude… in Innisfail is truly exciting for us (and) speaks volumes to our business readiness, our willingness to respond at a pace that is necessary in today’s business environment, and our vision.And there’s the question of finding the right people, of which south central Alberta has in spades due to the conventional oil industry. “Most of the talent that we hire on the engineering side, no surprise comes from Alberta. This is all the engineers that have come out of the energy sector,” Steel added. “So it just from a visual and a vibe like it all just, it all just made sense, and it works. I've been going around telling Canada we have all the elements to you know, be a leader in this industry.”How big could it get?Nobody really knows, but “multi-trillions” is a conservative guess. And unlike tradition CCUS projects located at point site like refineries, DAC systems are portable and could be located anywhere.And they’re not restricted to any geographic location. China could contract Innisfail to capture carbon for them; it doesn’t really matter where the emissions come from.“Listen, I want to be very clear on this,” Steel says. “I think we need to do everything. So whenever I talk about this industry with people, they're like, oh, you know, carbon removal isn’t the answer. I'm like, hold on. I'm not suggesting carbon removal is that answer to all the world's climate problems? Because it's not. “It is part of any solution. I'm a huge supporter of carbon capture at source. I'm a huge supporter of planting more trees. I'm a huge supporter of electrifying our society. But there's just going to be certain things that are impossible to abate unless none of us plan to ever get on a plane again, which obviously it's never going to happen. So we need carbon removals to offset that last bit.”
