Deep Sky Secures $40M Grant from Breakthrough Energy Catalyst to Scale Direct Air Capture

The grant represents Catalyst's first-ever support of both a Canadian and Direct Air Capture (DAC) project.

MONTRÉAL, Dec. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Deep Sky, the Quebec-based carbon removal project developer, today announced that it has secured a USD $40 million grant commitment from Breakthrough Energy Catalyst ("Catalyst"). The funds, subject to the satisfaction of funding conditions, will be allocated to the construction of Deep Sky Alpha (formerly Deep Sky Labs) and its associated research and testing of direct air capture (DAC) technologies. Deep Sky Alpha will deploy multiple innovative DAC technologies to test and identify the most promising technologies, as part of Deep Sky's aggressive initiative to lower the cost of large-scale commercial carbon removal. This marks Catalyst's first-ever investment in both a Canadian and Direct Air Capture (DAC) project.

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Deep Sky Secures $40M Grant from Breakthrough Energy Catalyst to Scale Direct Air Capture

The Catalyst program funds large demonstration projects and invests in first-of-a-kind commercial projects that use emerging climate technologies. It prioritizes projects with high-impact and scalable climate tech that need additional capital to reach commercial scale. Alpha is Deep Sky's first facility and is scheduled to be operational and delivering carbon removal credits by Spring 2025.

With this grant commitment, Catalyst is supporting Deep Sky's efforts to build large-scale carbon removal and storage infrastructure in Canada. As a project developer, Deep Sky is working to bring together the most promising direct air and ocean capture technologies to accelerate delivery of high-quality carbon removal credits to the market. Powered by renewable energy, Deep Sky's facilities are strategically located in Canada, a region with all of the natural resources to become a world leader in carbon removal.

"Securing support from Breakthrough Energy Catalyst marks another milestone for our company and for the DAC industry," said Damien Steel, Deep Sky CEO. "The financial backing from Breakthrough Energy Catalyst will play a crucial role in helping Deep Sky realize its ambitious goals. However, the partnership with Breakthrough Energy Catalyst and their expertise into what it takes to build projects at scale has already been transformative to Deep Sky."

"We're proud to support Deep Sky Alpha because it offers a unique opportunity to demonstrate several direct air capture technologies and gain a deeper understanding of their potential to lower costs and scale – all while delivering permanent carbon removal," said Mario Fernandez, Head of Breakthrough Energy Catalyst. "The world will ultimately need many approaches to carbon removal at prices far lower than is achievable today, but Deep Sky's platform will enable and accelerate the kind of real-world innovation that could make affordable DAC achievable."

Together, Deep Sky and Catalyst are committed to developing and deploying cutting-edge carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies. High-quality CDR is essential for achieving net-zero emissions goals and mitigating the impacts of climate change.

"In 2025, Deep Sky will deliver on our promise to rapidly scale carbon removals, and we remain unapologetically ambitious as we look to the future," Steel added.

About Breakthrough Energy

Breakthrough Energy is committed to accelerating the world's journey to a clean energy future. The organization funds breakthrough technologies, advocates for climate-smart policies, and mobilizes partners around the world to take effective action, accelerating progress at every stage.

Breakthrough Energy Catalyst is a novel platform that funds and invests in first-of-a-kind commercial projects for emerging climate technologies. By supporting these opportunities, Catalyst seeks to accelerate the adoption of these technologies worldwide and reduce their costs.

Catalyst currently focuses on five technology areas: clean hydrogen, sustainable aviation fuel, direct air capture, long-duration energy storage, and manufacturing decarbonization. In addition to capital, Catalyst leverages the team's energy-infrastructure-investing and project-development expertise to work with innovators on advancing their projects from the development stage to funding and ultimately, to construction. Learn more about Breakthrough Energy and Catalyst at breakthroughenergy.org.

About Deep Sky

Montreal-based Deep Sky is the world's first tech-agnostic carbon removal project developer aiming to remove gigatons of carbon from the atmosphere and permanently store it underground. As a project developer, Deep Sky brings together the most promising direct air and ocean carbon capture companies under one roof to bring the largest supply of high-quality carbon credits to the market, commercializing and catalyzing carbon removal and storage solutions like never before.

With $130M in funding, Deep Sky is backed by world-class investors including Investissement Québec, Brightspark Ventures, Whitecap Venture Partners, OMERS Ventures, BDC Climate Fund, Breakthrough Energy Catalyst, BMO, and National Bank of Canada. For more information, visit deepskyclimate.com.SOURCE Deep Sky