As part of the project, a new carbon capture plant will be established at the MLTC Bioenergy Centre, a renewable power generation facility supplied by sustainable waste biomass from the adjacent sawmill owned by MLTC and other local forest product mills. The new plant will be owned by North Star Carbon Solutions LP, a partnership between MLTC and Svante’s recently acquired subsidiary, Carbon Alpha Corp. At capacity, the carbon capture plant will generate up to 90,000 tonnes of CDR credits per year and deliver CDR credits to Microsoft over a 15-year period. Captured CO2 will be safely transported and permanently stored at a geologic storage site owned and operated by North Star, providing a fully integrated system for carbon removal from source to sink.

The CDR credits delivered under the agreement are expected to be independently verified and issued in accordance with applicable carbon removal crediting standards and robust monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) practices. The North Star project plans to use waste biomass and to monitor CO2 capture, transport, and permanent geologic storage to support long-term durability.

Svante will provide all funding required until the decision is made to start construction. Commercial operation is planned for early 2029.

Scott Gardner, President of Svante Development Inc. said, “We are excited about this landmark agreement for BECCS in Canada, which is the result of Microsoft’s leadership in carbon removal. Microsoft’s anchor offtake commitment sends a strong signal to the market about the quality of North Star’s CDRs and the readiness of the Canadian market to deliver such projects.”

“Meadow Lake Tribal Council welcomes Microsoft’s significant offtake commitment for the North Star project,” said Jeremy Norman, Tribal Chief, Meadow Lake Tribal Council. “As a Canadian Indigenous-owned BECCS project that is believed to be among the first of its kind, North Star reflects MLTC Nations’ long-standing commitment to land stewardship and sustainable forest management. The project demonstrates how Indigenous leadership and collaboration can advance climate solutions while supporting meaningful employment and economic opportunities for our member Nations and the surrounding community.”

“We’re pleased to work with North Star Carbon Solutions and Meadow Lake Tribal Council to help advance high-quality, durable carbon dioxide removal,” said Phillip Goodman, Director of Carbon Removal Portfolio, Microsoft. “To meet our climate goals, we need to help scale solutions that deliver durable storage and are backed by rigorous monitoring and verification. This agreement supports an Indigenous-led collaboration that enables the infrastructure needed to bring durable carbon removal online in Canada, thus creating a pathway for additional projects over time.”

North Star is expected to create approximately 50 local jobs during the development and construction phase, and up to 10 ongoing jobs once the facility is operating, creating valuable employment opportunities for the Meadow Lake community. In addition, the project will support the local economy by increasing demand for nearby businesses such as restaurants, hotels, and service providers.