Connect with us

Alberta

Alberta’s government is investing $5 million to help launch the world’s first direct air capture centre at Innisfail

Published

3 days ago

5 minute read

Taking carbon capture to new heights

Alberta’s government is investing $5 million from the TIER fund to help launch the world’s first direct air capture centre.

Alberta is a global leader in environmentally responsible energy production and reducing emissions, already home to two of the largest carbon capture, utilization and storage facilities operating in North America, and seeing emissions decline across the economy.

Most of the current technologies used around the world focus on facilities and worksites. Direct air capture offers a potential new way of removing greenhouse gas emissions straight from the air. If successful, the potential is huge.

Through Emissions Reduction Alberta, $5 million is being invested from the industry-led TIER program to help Deep Sky in the design, build and operation of the world’s first direct air capture innovation and commercialization centre in Innisfail. This funding will help Alberta keep showing the world how to reduce emissions while creating jobs and increasing responsible energy production.

“We don’t need punitive taxes, anti-energy regulations or nonsensical production caps to reduce emissions. Our approach is to support industry, Alberta expertise and innovation by helping to de-risk new technology. Direct air capture has some potential and is being looked at in other jurisdictions, so it’s great to see companies choosing Alberta as a place to invest and do business in.”

Rebecca Schulz, Minister of Environment and Protected Areas

“Alberta companies are leaders in developing carbon capture and storage technology. Deep Sky has the potential to take the next major step in decarbonization through direct air capture. These advancements and investments through the TIER fund are a major reason why global demand is increasing for our responsibly produced energy products.”

Brian Jean, Minister of Energy and Minerals

“Investing in Deep Sky supports Alberta’s global leadership in emissions reduction. This project accelerates cutting-edge carbon removal technologies, creates jobs and builds a platform for innovation. By capturing legacy emissions, it complements other climate solutions and positions Alberta at the forefront of a growing carbon removal economy.”

Justin Riemer, CEO, Emissions Reduction Alberta

“We are thrilled to be supported by the Government of Alberta through Emissions Reduction Alberta’s investment to help deliver a world first in carbon removals right here in Alberta. This funding will be instrumental in scaling direct air capture and creating an entirely new economic opportunity for Alberta, Canada and the world.”

Alex Petre, CEO, Deep Sky

Deep Sky is helping establish Alberta as a global leader in carbon removal – an emerging field that is expected to grow exponentially over the next decade. The new centre is located on a five-acre site and will feature up to 10 direct air capture units, allowing multiple technologies and concepts to be tested at once. Starting this summer, Deep Sky Alpha’s units will begin pulling in air, trapping carbon dioxide, transporting it by truck, and safely storing it underground at an approved site in Legal.

This new technology will give Alberta’s oil and gas, energy and utilities, cement and heavy industry, and agriculture and agri-tech sectors new technologies to reduce emissions, while creating local jobs and reinforcing Alberta’s position as a global leader in responsible energy development.

Quick facts

  • Deep Sky aims to capture 3,000 tonnes of emissions each year and estimates creating 80 construction jobs, 15 permanent jobs, and more than $100 million in local economic benefit over the next 10 years, including regional development in rural communities.
  • Research shows that carbon capture technology is safe and effective. Careful site selection and rigorous monitoring serve to ensure the injected carbon dioxide remains sequestered thousands of metres below the surface, with no impact on fresh water, plants or the soil.
  • Provincial funding for this project is delivered through Emissions Reduction Alberta’s Continuous Intake Program, funded by Alberta’s industry-funded Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) system.

Related information

Related Topics:

This is a news release from the Government of Alberta.

Follow Author

More from this author
Alberta / 15 hours ago

So Alberta, what’s next?

Alberta / 3 days ago

Alberta’s government is investing $5 million to help launch the world’s first direct air capture centre at Innisfail

Alberta / 1 week ago

Alberta is investing up to $50 million into new technologies to help reduce oil sands mine water

Alberta

So Alberta, what’s next?

Published on June 29, 2025

By

Albertans, not Ottawa, should shape Alberta’s future. The Alberta Next Panel is hitting the road to engage directly with Albertans and chart a path forward for the province.

Albertans are frustrated after 10 years of punitive policies, enacted by the federal government, attacking Alberta’s economy and targeting its core industries.

Chaired by Premier Danielle Smith, the Alberta Next panel will bring together a broad mix of leaders, experts, and community voices to gather input, discuss solutions, and provide feedback to government on how Alberta can better protect its interests, defend its economy, and assert its place in Confederation.

The panel will consult across the province over the summer and early fall to ensure that those living, working, doing business and raising families are the ones to drive Alberta’s future forward. The work will include identifying solutions advanced by Albertans on how to make Alberta stronger and more sovereign within a united Canada that respects and empowers the province to achieve its full potential. It will also include making recommendations to the government on potential referendum questions for Albertans to vote on in 2026.

It will consider and hear from Albertans on the risks and benefits of ideas like a establishing an Alberta Pension Plan, using an Alberta Provincial Police Service rather than the RCMP for community policing, whether Albertans should consider pursuing constitutional changes, which (if any) changes to federal transfer payments and equalization Albertans should demand of the federal government, potential immigration reform that would give the provincial government more oversight into who comes to the province, and changes to how Alberta collects personal income tax. Albertans will also have the opportunity to put forward their own ideas for discussion.

“This isn’t just about talk. It’s about action. The Alberta Next Panel is giving everyday Albertans a direct say in the direction of our province. It’s time to stand up to Ottawa’s overreach and make sure decisions about Alberta’s future are made here, by the people who live and work here.”

Danielle Smith, Premier

“Right now, there is a need to restore fairness and functionality in the country. Years of problematic policy and decisions from Ottawa have hurt Albertan and Canadian prosperity. I am honoured to be asked by Premier Smith to participate in the Alberta Next Panel. This panel is about listening to Albertans on how we build a stronger Alberta within a united Canada, to which I, and the Business Council of Alberta, are firmly committed.”

Adam Legge, president of the Business Council of Alberta

Chaired by Premier Danielle Smith, the panel includes 13 additional members, including elected officials, academics, business leaders and community advocates:

  • Honourable Rebecca Schulz, Minister of Environment and Protected Areas of Alberta
  • Brandon Lunty, MLA for Leduc-Beaumont
  • Glenn van Dijken, MLA for Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock
  • Tara Sawyer, MLA-elect for Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills
  • Bruce McDonald, former justice, Court of Appeal of Alberta
  • Trevor Tombe, director of fiscal and economic policy, the University of Calgary School of Public Policy
  • Adam Legge, president, Business Council of Alberta
  • Andrew Judson, vice chairman (prairies), Fraser Institute
  • Sumita Anand, vice president, Above and Beyond Care Services
  • Melody Garner-Skiba, business and agricultural advocate
  • Grant Fagerheim, president and CEO, Whitecap Resources Inc.
  • Dr. Akin Osakuade, physician and section chief, Didsbury Hospital
  • Dr. Benny Xu, community health expert
  • Michael Binnion, president, Questerre Energy

Albertans have a choice: let Ottawa continue calling the shots—or come together to chart our own course. What’s next? You decide.

Key facts:

  • Town hall dates and sites, along with other opportunities to participate in this engagement, are available online at Alberta.ca/Next. Exact locations will be posted in the weeks ahead of the event, and Albertans will be asked to RSVP online.
  • The panel’s recommendations will be submitted to government by Dec. 31, 2025.
  • It is anticipated that the panel will add additional members in the coming weeks.

Related information

Related news

]

 

Continue Reading

Alberta

Alberta poll shows strong resistance to pornographic material in school libraries

Published on June 28, 2025

By

From LifeSiteNews

By Clare Marie Merkowsky

A government survey revealed strong public support, particularly among parents, for restricting or banning sexually explicit books.

Albertans are largely opposed to their children viewing pornography in school libraries, according to government polling.

In a June 20 press release, the Government of Alberta announced that their public engagement survey, launched after the discovery of sexually explicit books in school libraries, found that Albertans strongly support removing or limiting such content.

“Parents, educators and Albertans in general want action to ensure children don’t have access to age-inappropriate materials in school libraries,” Demetrios Nicolaides, Minister of Education and Childcare, said.

“We will use this valuable input to guide the creation of a province-wide standard to ensure the policy reflects the priorities and values of Albertans,” he continued.

READ: Support for traditional family values surges in Alberta

The survey, conducted between May 28 to June 6, received nearly 80,000 responses, revealing a widespread interest in the issue.

While 61 percent of respondents said that they had never previously been concerned about children viewing sexually explicit content in libraries, most were opposed to young children viewing it. 34 percent said children should never be able to access sexually explicit content in school libraries, while 23 percent believed it should be restricted to those aged 15 and up.

Similarly, 44 percent of parents of school-aged children were supportive of government regulations to control content in school libraries. Additionally, 62 percent of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that “parents and guardians should play a role in reporting or challenging the availability of materials with sexually explicit content in school libraries.”

READ: Alberta Conservatives seeking to ban sexually graphic books from school libraries

At the time, Nicolaides revealed that it was “extremely concerning” to discover that sexually explicit books were available in school libraries.

The books in question, found at multiple school locations, are Gender Queer, a graphic novel by Maia Kobabe; Flamer, a graphic novel by Mike Curato; Blankets, a graphic novel by Craig Thompson; and Fun Home, a graphic novel by Alison Bechdel.

 

Continue Reading

Trending

X