Community News: Carbon Engineering Breaks Ground at Innovation Centre

The Carbon Engineering Innovation Centre will be CE’s permanent business and advanced development headquarters where the company will further optimize and innovate its groundbreaking carbon removal and clean energy solutions. CE’s Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology removes CO2 directly from the atmosphere at large scale, and its complementary AIR TO FUELSTM technology produces ultra-low carbon intensity fuels out of captured atmospheric CO2, water, and clean electricity.

“This is a very exciting milestone for CE,” said Steve Oldham, CEO of CE. “The Innovation Centre will enable us to continue to advance our technology here in Squamish, British Columbia, positioning CE as a global leader in the critical and growing field of Direct Air Capture.  The Innovation Centre will allow CE to optimize and improve its technology which can help countries, companies, and individuals achieve their net zero targets and make a material impact in the fight against climate change.”

Located in the Newport Beach Oceanfront Development, south of downtown Squamish, the centre will include a 1,250m2 building to be used as an operations and laboratory space, and a new, fully integrated Direct Air Capture and AIR TO FUELSTM plant. Construction of the project will create approximately 45 full-time local jobs over the span of a year, in addition to the current Carbon Engineering team of 90 full-time employees.

Carbon Engineering’s Innovation Centre is being constructed concurrently with the design and engineering work of CE’s first commercial plant which, when completed, will be the world’s largest DAC facility, capable of capturing one million tons of CO2 per year.

CE marked the breaking ground moment with a small, socially-distant gathering at the site in Squamish, which was attended by the Honourable Bruce Ralston, Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, Her Worship Karen Elliott, District of Squamish Mayor, Michael Hutchison, a CE board member and President of Huron Clean Energy, CE’s Canadian plant development partner, and John Matthews of Matthews West, the real-estate development company managing the Oceanfront Squamish project.

Development of the Innovation Centre is supported by a CA$25 million repayable contribution by the Government of Canada’s Strategic Innovation Fund and over CA$100 million of private funding from CE’s investors.

Minister’s statement on Carbon Engineering’s innovation centre

Thursday, June 11, 2020 12:55 PM
Media Contacts

Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources
Media Relations
250 886-5400

Bruce Ralston, Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, has issued the following statement in response to the launch of Carbon Engineering’s innovation centre:

“I would like to congratulate Carbon Engineering on the groundbreaking of its new innovation centre in Squamish.

“As Carbon Engineering’s advanced development and business headquarters, the innovation centre will optimize its direct air capture and air-to-fuels technologies to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and make low-carbon transportation fuels. The facility will be a model for how this technology can be deployed nationally and internationally, transforming energy systems and reducing climate pollution on a global scale.

“The fact that Carbon Engineering has chosen Squamish as the home of its innovation centre shows that B.C. is an attractive place for businesses to invest and is fast becoming a global leader in clean-energy technology. Through the government’s CleanBC plan and programs like the Innovative Clean Energy Fund, we’re helping to spur innovation, create new economic opportunities and develop made-in-B.C. solutions to address global challenges.

“Carbon Engineering’s achievements are a great example of CleanBC in action and how we can grow the economy as we build a better future. As our economic recovery begins to take shape, B.C. has a unique opportunity to invest in innovation and build momentum in the critical transition to cleaner, more sustainable energy systems.”

https://carbonengineering.com/news-updates/innovation-centre/