A global leader in carbon removal technology has established its Canadian headquarters in Calgary, reinforcing the city’s role as a hub for energy transition innovation.
Climeworks, headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, develops direct air capture (DAC) technology that removes carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere — a critical tool in global efforts to reach net-zero emissions.
The company’s move to expand into Calgary reflects both the region’s supportive policy environment for carbon capture and its deep expertise in energy and engineering.
“Alberta’s world-class carbon capture ecosystem, combined with a supportive policy framework, makes this a natural place for us to scale,” said Colum Furey, Senior Project Development Manager at Climeworks.
“Calgary, in particular, brings together the infrastructure, supply chains and expertise we need in one place.”
The decision also aligns with Uplook: An Action Plan for Our Economy, Calgary’s long-term economic strategy that focuses on diversifying our economy by building on energy strengths and supporting the growth of future-focused sectors.
A natural fit for scaling climate solutions
Climeworks operates globally across Europe, Asia and the United States, but Calgary stood out as uniquely positioned to support its next phase of growth.
Furey pointed to the region’s concentration of engineering, procurement and construction expertise, along with decades of operational experience managing carbon dioxide through carbon capture projects.
“This is one of the few places in the world where there is significant operational experience handling CO₂ at scale,” he said.
“That existing knowledge base is incredibly valuable for deploying carbon removal technologies.”
Calgary’s concentration of energy headquarters and technical talent enables faster collaboration and project development. The city is home to roughly 220 corporate head offices, including many of the world’s largest energy companies, giving it the highest concentration of energy head offices in Canada.
Advancing cold-climate testing
A key focus of Climeworks’ early work in the region is preparing for cold-climate testing of its technology, an important step for deployment in northern environments like Canada.
“Calgary is a great place to conduct cold-climate testing because the infrastructure and experience already exist here,” he said.
“It’s a place where we can move quickly to understand how our technology performs in conditions similar to where future projects could operate.”
Furey added that Calgary’s advantages — including established CO₂ storage infrastructure, a mature regulatory framework for carbon capture projects and a deep pool of engineering and operational expertise — make it an ideal location for this work.
The company plans to bring a mobile testing unit to the Calgary region in the fall of this year, which will help validate its technology in cold-weather conditions as Climeworks continues to establish its local presence and grow its team. Climeworks’ Calgary expansion marks a key step in a phased approach, and initial testing and validation activities will inform larger-scale deployment as the project progresses.
Plugging into a collaborative ecosystem
Climeworks is currently operating from the Energy Transition Centre (ETC), a hub funded in part by the Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund that brings together clean technology innovators, industry partners and research organizations.
Furey described the ETC as an ideal base for building connections and advancing early project development work.
“To be in an environment where organizations focused on clean technology and innovation are literally down the hall creates tremendous opportunities,” he said.
“It puts us at the epicentre of the ecosystem we need.”
Supporting Calgary’s energy transition future
Climeworks’ arrival reinforces Calgary’s position as a global centre for carbon capture, utilization and storage — a priority subsector identified in the Alberta Energy Transition Study. The study found the global energy transition could create 170,000 jobs in the cleantech sector in Alberta and contribute $61 billion to GDP by 2050.
Calgary Economic Development (CED) supported Climeworks’ entry by connecting the company with key partners across the local ecosystem, including the Energy Transition Centre, where Climeworks has become a member. CED also provided guidance on local firms that can support project analysis and helped facilitate introductions through networking opportunities and real estate advisory services.
“Calgary is — and always will be — the energy capital of Canada, and today we are leveraging that expertise to lead in emerging climate technologies,” said Brad Parry, CED’s President and CEO.
“Companies like Climeworks see the advantage of being here — a deep talent pool, world-class infrastructure and a collaborative ecosystem that helps innovative solutions move from concept to deployment.”
For Climeworks, the decision ultimately came down to alignment between its needs and Calgary’s strengths.
“What you can achieve in Calgary in a year is probably what could take two or three years elsewhere,” Furey added.
“Everything is here — partners, expertise, regulators and institutions — and that proximity helps accelerate progress.”