Deep Sky has officially launched its landmark Deep Sky Alpha facility in Alberta, Canada.
With this historic milestone, the company is introducing the first direct air capture (DAC) and underground CO2 storage project in North America.
Positioned on 5 acres of land in an industrial park in Alberta, this innovative facility will serve as a testing and innovation center for DAC technology.
Its goal is to unlock technical and operational DAC improvements that would enable low-cost, scalable pathways to deliver climate-relevant levels of carbon dioxide removal (CDR).
The first few DAC technologies installed at the site are those of UK-based Airhive and Mission Zero Technologies, along with the solution developed by Quebec company Skyrenu.
This fall, Deep Sky Alpha will also install new DAC systems developed by different companies from around the world, aiming to ultimately host up to 10 technologies in total.
These systems will operate under the same conditions, where they will be monitored and optimized to unlock improvements in cost and performance.
The CO2 captured at the facility will be safely stored in underground geological formations known as saline aquifers, where it will remain permanently locked away from the atmosphere.
Innisfail, Alberta, was strategically selected as the base for Deep Sky Alpha due to its abundance of permanent geological storage locations and renewable energy sources.
With these assets at hand, Deep Sky Alpha will be working with an annual carbon capture capacity of 3,000 tonnes, powered entirely by solar energy.
Relevant: Govt Of Alberta Supports Deep Sky Alpha With A $3.6M Investment
Deep Sky will use proprietary software to continuously track the CDR progress of the project, and the results will be made public on the company’s website.
The launch of Deep Sky Alpha comes only a year after the project broke ground in Innisfail, and so far, it has generated more than 110 construction jobs, with plans to employ approximately 15 full-time operators.
Deep Sky CEO Alex Petre called the launch a defining moment not just for Deep Sky but for the global CDR industry, adding, “Companies around the world are looking for high-quality, durable carbon removal to offset carbon footprints. With Deep Sky Alpha, we’re proving that it’s not only possible, it’s here.”
Read more: Mission Zero Technologies Debuts Internationally By Launching A DAC Unit At Deep Sky Alpha
