The federal government has signed a deal to work with an Edmonton cement manufacturer to keep carbon dioxide generated at the plant from entering the atmosphere.

Innovation, Science and Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne has signed a memorandum of understanding with Heidelberg Materials to help with construction of a carbon capture and storage facility.

The deal marks the start of negotiations on a federal role in the $1.4-billion project, which is expected to be operational by 2026.

The company says the facility would make the plant carbon neutral and it would be the first of its kind in North America. 

It says the project would store the equivalent of carbon produced by 300,000 passenger cars a year. 


Cement manufacturing is a significant source of greenhouse gases, responsible for about seven per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 5, 2023