CALGARY,
AB, April 25, 2024 /CNW/ - The Meadow Lake
Tribal Council (MLTC) and Carbon Alpha today announced plans to
develop the North Star Project, a carbon dioxide removal (CDR)
project near Meadow Lake,
Saskatchewan.
North Star builds upon the
existing MLTC Bioenergy Centre by adding carbon capture and
storage (CCS). The bioenergy centre generates renewable power
fuelled entirely by waste biomass, such as bark and sawdust, from
MLTC's integrated sawmill and sustainably managed forestry
operations. Forestry biomass consumes carbon dioxide
(CO2) over its lifetime. By capturing the biogenic
CO2 emissions from the MLTC Bioenergy Centre and
injecting it deep underground, the project effectively removes
CO2 from the atmosphere safely and permanently,
generating high-quality CDR credits.
"The Meadow Lake Tribal Council is on a
journey to increase participation in the Saskatchewan economy for our 9 First Nations,
including green energy infrastructure development, climate change
mitigation, improving environmental outcomes and supporting our
local forestry-based economy in the Meadow Lake area. The North Star Project
represents added value to our existing facilities and focuses on
the newest renewable prospects for our region, carbon dioxide
removal. We, along with our partners Carbon Alpha, are completely
aligned with the National and Provincial Growth Plans and this
opportunity makes good sense. It enables the MLTC First Nations to
create ongoing economic development, jobs, contracting opportunity
and optimism for our people."
Tribal Chief Richard Ben
Meadow Lake Tribal
Council
The project is expected to create up to 125 construction jobs
and 12 permanent jobs once operational. The partners have secured
pore space and commenced preliminary front-end engineering and
expect to reach a final investment decision in mid-2025 with
project start-up in mid-2027.
Once operational, North Star
plans to generate about 70,000 CDR credits annually, which would be
the largest CDR project in Canada.
However, this represents a fraction of what is required to achieve
carbon neutrality – the International Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC) has made it clear that CDR is required to achieve net-zero
CO2 targets, and the National Academy of Sciences
estimates that 10 billion tonnes of CDR per year will be required
by 2050.
For more information about the North Star Project, please visit
https://www.carbonalpha.com/northstar
About Carbon Alpha
Carbon Alpha, founded in 2021 in Calgary, is a leading team of fully integrated
professionals dedicated to developing CDR projects in Canada. Carbon Alpha is committed to creating
a sustainable world for future generations by generating
high-quality, scalable carbon solutions.
About the Meadow Lake Tribal
Council
MLTC was formed in 1981 and represents 9 First Nations located
in Northwest Saskatchewan. MLTC
invests in businesses to meaningfully participate in Saskatchewan's economy, supporting economic
reconciliation in a rural and remote area of the province. 100% of
the distributions flow to the 9 First Nations, to foster local
economic growth; enhance on-reserve education; healthcare; youth
and elder programs; housing; and other community social and
infrastructure needs.
Contact: Patrick Elliott,
northstar@carbonalpha.com
SOURCE Carbon Alpha