Alberta is known as Canada’s energy heartland and as home to one of the world’s most carbon-intensive industries. But in the midst of this oil stronghold, a greener chapter is taking shape. Here, companies, research centers, and government agencies are working diligently to reduce emissions through carbon capture, storage, and utilization (CCUS).
As part of CO₂Vision, Nikoline Bak and Thilde Møller Larsen from Green Hub Denmark, together with Kasper Havemann from Clean, led an inspiring delegation trip to Alberta, Canada. The trip brought together key Danish stakeholders with an interest in CO₂ capture and green energy, and featured a packed itinerary that included visits to some of the region’s leading CCUS companies.
Development at Deep Sky Alpha has moved quickly: In just one year, the project has gone from an empty field to a fully operational test center, where CO₂ is now being pumped two kilometers underground on a permanent basis.
Within the Alberta Industrial Heartland Association, there is an area of 582 square kilometers—roughly half the size of the Municipality of Aalborg—dedicated to the process industry. More than 40 companies operate side by side here.
Unlike the sector-based clustering seen in Denmark, the companies here function more as independent “islands,” connected by roads, railways, and a few pipelines.
At C-FER Technologies, the delegation was shown advanced testing facilities where materials and infrastructure are subjected to extreme conditions. Here, oil, gas, hydrogen—and CO₂—are transported over enormous distances, including through the world’s longest CO₂ pipeline.
At InnoTech Alberta, it became clear how research is quickly translated into practice. Here, new materials, bio-based oils, and technologies are being developed, with CO₂ serving as a building block in products such as particleboard and fibers.
The trip also included a pre-conference networking event organized by the International CCS Knowledge Centre, which is known for bringing together some of the world’s leading CCUS stakeholders and sharing experiences from projects such as Boundary Dam in Canada—one of the world’s first full-scale CO₂ capture projects.
Alberta demonstrates that even regions with abundant energy resources can transition to greener solutions—if they dare to take risks, collaborate, and think innovatively.
The tour gave participants insight into how technologies, partnerships, and policy initiatives can drive a green transformation in a traditionally fossil-fuel-based industry.
About the Delegation
The delegation visit was organized as part of CO₂Vision and Clean’s international activities.
The purpose was to forge connections between Danish and Canadian stakeholders in the field of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS)—and to strengthen the cross-national knowledge sharing necessary to accelerate the global green transition.
