A Look Inside the Inaugural BECCS Leadership Summit

On October 16-18, 2024, Emissions Reduction Alberta and Alberta Innovates co-hosted the first Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) Leadership Summit in Banff, Alberta. The event brought together over 100 leaders spanning a diverse cross section of industries, including Forestry, Government, First Nations, CDR Buyers, and more, to discuss how to address barriers and accelerate adoption of BECCS in Canada.

If you’re not familiar with BECCS, think of it as a way to harness nature to permanently remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.  It uses the natural carbon cycle combined with carbon capture and storage (CCS) to sequester CO2 underground, while producing clean energy at the same time.

Can’t quite picture it?  Here’s a video explaining BECCS technology:

Over two days, Summit attendees heard from subject matter experts and contributed their own expertise on a plethora of topics, from carbon capture to forestry, project development, and sustainability.

The plenary session hosted conversations about how to get major projects off the ground, and how we can apply our learnings in forestry and CCUS to BECCS projects – and of course, how to finance it all.

Attendees heard from early adopters who are laying the groundwork for BECCS in Canada, featuring projects like Varme’s Waste to Energy with Carbon Capture, Carbon Alpha’s NorthStar BECCS, TorchLight Bioresources and Vault’s Rocky Mountain Carbon, and Hydrogen Naturally’s Bright Green Hydrogen.

Provincial and federal governments attended and provided their perspectives. Representatives from the Ministry of Forestry and Parks and the Ministry of Environment and Protected Areas showcased Alberta’s unique carbon and forest management framework, and the opportunities within them to support BECCS projects.

One emerging theme was abundantly clear: Alberta and Canada have all the ingredients for BECCS to be successful.  Alberta is one of the best jurisdictions in the world to invest in BECCS and get this new sustainability industry off the ground.

Why? There are three key factors that set us up to be a leader in BECCS:
  • 1. Our sustainable feedstock: Alberta has a robust forestry sector, and over 80 per cent of Alberta’s forests have achieved international sustainable forestry certifications.
  • 2. Our CCUS expertise: Alberta’s operating commercial infrastructure, natural geology, and regulatory frameworks offer advanced tools to build CCUS projects at scale.
  • 3. Our deregulated electricity market: The province’s competitive power market welcomes new entrants, and bioelectricity from pulp mills is already part of the grid.

Attendees also engaged in interactive workshops that offered a deeper dive into more niche conversations, like carbon removals, project delivery, and availability of forest carbon.

Collaboration across industries will be a key component to moving new technologies forward. Events like the BECCS Leadership Summit can be a vessel for those conversations and for new partnerships to take shape.

Additional support for the Summit was provided by the Government of Alberta, Torchlight Bioresources, Alberta Forest Products, and Natural Resources Canada 

Interested in learning more about forestry and BECCS?

ERA’s Director for Technology Impact, Grace Meikle, sat down with industry experts to talk about what makes Alberta’s forestry sector among the most sustainable in the world, and how to transform pulp mills into large-scale carbon removal BECCS projects in the near term:

Interested in learning more about what happened at the inaugural BECCS Summit?

ERA’s Director of Climate Policy and Performance Measurement, Craig Werner, spoke with a couple of panelists for more in-depth conversations about the value of the Summit:

Recordings of all plenary sessions are also available to view on YouTube:

In this session from the BECCS Leadership Summit, ERA’s Director of Technology Impact, Grace Meikle, sits down with industry veteran Ian MacGregor to discuss how to make major projects happen for the climate, and what it will take to make BECCS happen as a carbon removal solution. 30:38

In this session from the BECCS Leadership Summit, ERA’s Director of Technology Impact, Grace Meikle, sits down with industry veteran Ian MacGregor to discuss how to make major projects happen for the climate, and what it will take to make BECCS happen as a carbon removal solution.

YouTube Video UExjY2VXWFlWNVRwX3B5Q3lXLVZDQlpnemVEZnJIYnIzai5EQUE1NTFDRjcwMDg0NEMz

BECCS Leadership Summit: Making BECCS Happen

In this session from the BECCS Leadership Summit, moderator James Fann, President and CEO of the International CCS Knowledge Center facilitates a discussion around key components to enable successful BECCS projects. Panelists include Joel Flitton, Director of Carbon Removals at SLB Capturi, Sophie Mullen, Sustainability and Resource Development Director at Heidelberg Materials, and Roger Ashfield, Board Chair at Alberta Forest Products Association. 41:16

In this session from the BECCS Leadership Summit, moderator James Fann, President and CEO of the International CCS Knowledge Center facilitates a discussion around key components to enable successful BECCS projects. Panelists include Joel Flitton, Director of Carbon Removals at SLB Capturi, Sophie Mullen, Sustainability and Resource Development Director at Heidelberg Materials, and Roger Ashfield, Board Chair at Alberta Forest Products Association.

YouTube Video UExjY2VXWFlWNVRwX3B5Q3lXLVZDQlpnemVEZnJIYnIzai41QTY1Q0UxMTVCODczNThE

BECCS Leadership Summit: Ingredients for BECCS Success

In this session from the BECCS Leadership Summit, moderator Mark Summers, Vice President of Agriculture and Forestry and Alberta Innovates hears perspectives on Alberta’s unique carbon and forestry management framework, and the opportunities within them to support BECCS projects. He’s joined by Patrick McDonald, Associate Deputy Minister for Alberta Ministry of Environment and Protected Areas and Ken Greenway, Executive Director of Forest Stewardship and Trade at Alberta Ministry of Forestry and Parks. 44:03

In this session from the BECCS Leadership Summit, moderator Mark Summers, Vice President of Agriculture and Forestry and Alberta Innovates hears perspectives on Alberta’s unique carbon and forestry management framework, and the opportunities within them to support BECCS projects. He’s joined by Patrick McDonald, Associate Deputy Minister for Alberta Ministry of Environment and Protected Areas and Ken Greenway, Executive Director of Forest Stewardship and Trade at Alberta Ministry of Forestry and Parks.

YouTube Video UExjY2VXWFlWNVRwX3B5Q3lXLVZDQlpnemVEZnJIYnIzai4yMDhBMkNBNjRDMjQxQTg1

BECCS Leadership Summit: Spotlight on Alberta’s Carbon and Forest Management and Framework

In this session from the BECCS Leadership Summit, Ericka Rios, Manager for Clean Technology at Alberta Innovates, invites panellists to showcase their emerging BECCS projects that are taking place in Alberta and across Canada. The session features four existing projects, including TorchLight Bioresources and Vault’s Rocky Mountain Carbon, Varme Energy Canada’s Heartland Waste to Energy with Carbon Capture, Hydrogen Naturally’s Bright Green Hydrogen, and Carbon Alpha’s NorthStar BECCS. 1:8:37

In this session from the BECCS Leadership Summit, Ericka Rios, Manager for Clean Technology at Alberta Innovates, invites panellists to showcase their emerging BECCS projects that are taking place in Alberta and across Canada. The session features four existing projects, including TorchLight Bioresources and Vault’s Rocky Mountain Carbon, Varme Energy Canada’s Heartland Waste to Energy with Carbon Capture, Hydrogen Naturally’s Bright Green Hydrogen, and Carbon Alpha’s NorthStar BECCS.

YouTube Video UExjY2VXWFlWNVRwX3B5Q3lXLVZDQlpnemVEZnJIYnIzai5GM0Q3M0MzMzY5NTJFNTdE

BECCS Leadership Summit: BECCS Innovation Showcase

In this session from the BECCS Leadership Summit, moderator Monique Frison, Director General at Canadian Forest Service, sits down with Ed Wolfrum, Principal Researcher and Manager at National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Tom Antle, Director of Engineering at TorchLight Bioresources for an in-depth look at BECCS projects in the U.S. and Europe. 44:21

In this session from the BECCS Leadership Summit, moderator Monique Frison, Director General at Canadian Forest Service, sits down with Ed Wolfrum, Principal Researcher and Manager at National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Tom Antle, Director of Engineering at TorchLight Bioresources for an in-depth look at BECCS projects in the U.S. and Europe.

YouTube Video UExjY2VXWFlWNVRwX3B5Q3lXLVZDQlpnemVEZnJIYnIzai4zRjM0MkVCRTg0MkYyQTM0

BECCS Leadership Summit: International Perspectives on BECCS

In this session from the BECCS Leadership Summit, moderator Tim Bushman, Director of Policy and Research at Carbon Removal Canada hears from CDR buyers and marketplace innovators on how to establish transparent, permanent carbon removals. He’s joined by Ofei Mante, Senior Research Analyst at Amazon, Irfan Ali, Founder of DigiKerma, and Joseph Kochanski, Head of Operations – America at Puro.earth.Note: We are unable to share Amazon’s presentation, it has been removed from this recording. 39:55

In this session from the BECCS Leadership Summit, moderator Tim Bushman, Director of Policy and Research at Carbon Removal Canada hears from CDR buyers and marketplace innovators on how to establish transparent, permanent carbon removals. He’s joined by Ofei Mante, Senior Research Analyst at Amazon, Irfan Ali, Founder of DigiKerma, and Joseph Kochanski, Head of Operations – America at Puro.earth.

Note: We are unable to share Amazon’s presentation, it has been removed from this recording.

YouTube Video UExjY2VXWFlWNVRwX3B5Q3lXLVZDQlpnemVEZnJIYnIzai45NzUwQkI1M0UxNThBMkU0

BECCS Leadership Summit: BECCS as a Carbon Removal Tool

In this session from the BECCS Leadership Summit, moderator Tyson Dyck, Partner at Torys LLP, facilitates a discussion on how to create bankable BECCS projects. He’s joined by Andrew Hall, Managing Director for Carbon Markets Advisory and ESG Solutions at TD Securities, Jeff Pearson, President at Wolf Carbon, and Jonathan Rhone, Co-founder and CEO at CO280. 47:46

In this session from the BECCS Leadership Summit, moderator Tyson Dyck, Partner at Torys LLP, facilitates a discussion on how to create bankable BECCS projects. He’s joined by Andrew Hall, Managing Director for Carbon Markets Advisory and ESG Solutions at TD Securities, Jeff Pearson, President at Wolf Carbon, and Jonathan Rhone, Co-founder and CEO at CO280.

YouTube Video UExjY2VXWFlWNVRwX3B5Q3lXLVZDQlpnemVEZnJIYnIzai43MTI1NDIwOTMwQjIxMzNG

BECCS Leadership Summit: Financing BECCS Industry Growth