Swiss Carbon Removal Leader Climeworks Expands to Calgary

Swiss-based carbon removal company Climeworks has officially established its Canadian headquarters in Calgary, marking a significant step in the city’s growing leadership in energy transition and climate innovation.

Headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, Climeworks develops direct air capture (DAC) technology that removes carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere — an increasingly critical tool in global efforts to achieve net-zero emissions. The company’s expansion into Calgary reflects confidence in Alberta’s policy environment and the region’s deep technical expertise in carbon management.

“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.”

Climeworks operates internationally across Europe, Asia and the United States. Its large-scale “Mammoth” plant in Iceland represents one of the world’s most advanced direct air capture facilities. However, Calgary stood out as uniquely positioned to support the company’s next growth phase.

Furey highlighted the region’s concentration of engineering, procurement and construction expertise, as well as decades of operational experience handling 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 is home to approximately 220 corporate head offices, including many of Canada’s largest energy companies, giving it the highest concentration of energy headquarters in the country. This proximity enables faster collaboration, streamlined project development and access to a deep technical talent pool.

A key priority for Climeworks in Alberta will be cold-climate testing of its technology — a necessary step for deploying DAC systems in northern environments.

“Calgary is a great place to conduct cold-climate testing because the infrastructure and experience already exist here,” Furey 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.”

The company plans to bring a mobile testing unit to the Calgary region this fall to validate performance in cold-weather conditions. These initial testing and validation activities will inform larger-scale deployment in the future.

Climeworks is currently operating from the Energy Transition Centre, a clean technology hub supported in part by the Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund. The centre connects innovators, industry partners and research organizations working in energy transition sectors.

The expansion aligns with Calgary’s broader economic strategy, including its long-term diversification plan known as Uplook: An Action Plan for Our Economy. It also reinforces findings from the Alberta Energy Transition Study, which projects that the global energy transition could create 170,000 cleantech jobs in Alberta and contribute $61 billion to GDP by 2050.

Calgary Economic Development supported Climeworks’ entry by connecting the company with local partners, providing real estate advisory services and facilitating networking opportunities.

“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, President and CEO of Calgary Economic Development.

For Climeworks, the decision ultimately came down to alignment between its global ambitions and Calgary’s strengths in energy, infrastructure and regulatory readiness — a combination that positions the city as a launchpad for the next generation of carbon removal solutions.