Teck Trail operations has received $10 million from the provincial government’s CleanBC Industry Fund for its carbon capture pilot project.
The company says construction is underway on the new plant, which should begin operations late this year. It’s part of the company’s plan to reduce its carbon footprint by a third by 2030 and hit net zero by 2050.
Teck said it expects to capture one tonne of carbon dioxide per day to start and, if successful, scale the project up to 100,000 tonnes per year.
“Teck is continually evaluating opportunities to reduce our carbon footprint while supplying the critical resources required for a low-carbon future,” CEO Jonathan Price said in a news release.
“This funding will help advance our innovative carbon capture pilot at Trail Operations, with important support from CleanBC, which is an excellent example of the alignment and collaboration between industry and government in achieving our shared climate goals.”
Teck did not respond to an interview request. The company has not indicated what it plans to do with the captured carbon, although in other projects it is often stored underground. Nor is it clear how much the company is investing.
Carbon capture projects have been criticized for failing to reduce emissions as much as promised, while some have argued they have been used to justify ongoing fossil fuel use.
