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Deep Sky, a Montreal‑based carbon removal project developer, is welcoming the Quebec government’s introduction of Bill 17, legislation that establishes a regulatory framework for underground reservoirs and certain pipelines. The company said the new framework is a long‑awaited step that will enable permanent carbon removal, help the province reach its net‑zero targets, attract major investment and position Quebec as a global leader in the emerging sector.

The Bill amends the Act respecting natural gas storage and natural gas and oil pipelines and sets out rules for geological carbon storage designed to balance social and environmental considerations. Deep Sky said the legislation responds to a clear need identified by scientists, climate experts and industry stakeholders to capture and store CO₂ that cannot be eliminated through other emissions‑reduction measures.

In the absence of a dedicated framework, permanent carbon removal deployment in Quebec has lagged behind other jurisdictions. Deep Sky said the Bill fills this regulatory gap and will allow the province to move forward with projects aligned with international best practices.

The proposed framework is designed to ensure that carbon storage is carried out safely for people and the environment. It would also open the door for project developers to generate and recognize carbon credits from permanent storage on voluntary markets and to access the federal refundable tax credit for carbon capture and storage, which covers up to 60% of investments in direct air capture and 37.5% of storage investments.

“This legislation gives Quebec the regulatory predictability required to scale from pilot projects to large‑scale carbon removal infrastructure,” said Alex Petre, CEO of Deep Sky. “It creates the conditions for significant regional investment while supporting Quebec’s climate objectives. Timely adoption of this bill will allow Quebec to act now and strengthen its leadership in carbon removal. Further, timely adoption will also allow Deep Sky to begin construction on our large scale commercial facilities in Quebec by 2027.”

According to the Advisory Committee on Climate Change, Quebec will need permanent carbon removal capacity of 13 million tonnes per year by 2045–2050 to offset emissions that cannot otherwise be reduced. Direct air capture and permanent geological storage are seen as key technologies to achieve carbon neutrality by leveraging the province’s clean electricity and technical expertise.

Deep Sky is currently developing two carbon removal projects in Thetford Mines and Bécancour. The Thetford Mines development alone represents more than $2 billion in investment and is expected to generate between $1 billion and $1.7 billion in economic benefits, along with 7,000 to 12,000 construction‑phase jobs. Once operational, the site will be capable of removing more than 500,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually — the equivalent of about 25 million mature trees. In December 2025, the company completed Quebec’s first geological injection of captured carbon.

Quebec’s geologic storage potential is estimated at roughly 8 gigatonnes in the saline aquifers of the St. Lawrence Lowlands and up to 800 gigatonnes in the mafic and ultramafic rocks of the Appalachians and the Canadian Shield, giving the province significant long‑term capacity.

Deep Sky said it will continue working with the Quebec government and other stakeholders to support implementation of the legislative framework and to advance responsible development of the province’s carbon removal sector.

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Deep Sky welcomes Quebec’s new bill establishing legal framework for carbon storage

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