Daily Climate Impact
Calgary's Kathairos Solutions eliminates 1 million tonnes of CO₂e daily, marking a major climate milestone.
Anonymous
A Calgary cleantech company has crossed one of the oil and gas industry's most significant climate milestones. Kathairos Solutions announced it has eliminated a cumulative one million metric tonnes of CO₂ equivalent (tCO2e) from the atmosphere, according to GlobeNewswire. The company is now removing roughly 1,250 tonnes of methane every single day.
The feat was achieved by deploying 3,000 liquid nitrogen systems across North America. More than 70 oil and gas producers — including Chevron and Ovintiv — have replaced methane venting with nitrogen at their sites, Financial Post reported. CEO Dick Brown called it a testament to the vision that "methane venting is the most pressing emissions issue facing the industry."
Why Oil Wells Vent Methane in the First Place
Remote oil and gas wells have long lacked access to electricity. To open and close valves, operators used pressurized natural gas — methane — as the power source. Each time a valve cycled, raw methane vented straight into the atmosphere. Methane is over 80 times more potent than CO₂ over a 20-year period, according to Edmonton Sun. Pneumatic venting like this accounts for roughly 40% of all vented methane in oil fields.
Kathairos' fix is simple: swap methane for nitrogen. The company installs a standalone cryogenic tank of liquid nitrogen on-site. Nitrogen vaporizes and powers the same valves. Because nitrogen makes up 78% of the atmosphere, venting it causes zero environmental harm. The system has no moving parts and needs no external power — a key advantage for off-grid, remote locations.
From Calgary Startup to 3,000 Sites in Six Years
Kathairos was founded in 2020 by Dick Brown and Jason Gidney. Early field trials confirmed the technology worked in 2021. By March 2023, the company was deploying 1,000 systems across Alberta's Grande Prairie and Fox Creek regions. The federal government of Canada backed the company with $3.9 million in funding through Prairies Economic Development Canada, according to Fort McMurray Today.
Growth accelerated sharply after a 2024 partnership with Chart Industries, a global cryogenic equipment maker. That deal cut delivery time to eight weeks from factory to field. In the US, the Inflation Reduction Act placed a $1,500-per-tonne tax on methane starting in 2026, pushing American producers to adopt nitrogen systems fast. In Canada, Alberta's carbon credits are valued at $95 per tonne in 2025, rising to $170 per tonne by 2030.
Alberta Politicians Tout Homegrown Climate Tech
Both Premier Danielle Smith and Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz congratulated Kathairos on the milestone. Schulz said "Alberta has helped show the world what is possible when it comes to reducing methane emissions," calling the company "a concrete example of that progress," according to Daily Herald Tribune. Smith pointed to the achievement as proof that industry-led innovation can outperform federal mandates.
Alberta says it has already hit its methane reduction targets three years early, reaching a 52% cut. The province uses milestones like Kathairos' as an argument against Ottawa's proposed hard production caps. President Amanda Hehr framed the milestone in broader terms: "Crossing one million tonnes moves well beyond a traditional corporate sustainability metric and into the realm of true infrastructure-scale environmental change."
What Comes Next: Tank Venting, Carbon Credits, and Global Expansion
Kathairos is already targeting the next major source of upstream methane: oil storage tank venting. The company is testing a twin-turbine system to capture those vapors, which could address another 25% of upstream methane emissions, according to Hanna Herald. Analysts note the company's "capital-free" rental model — where producers pay a service fee rather than a large upfront cost — has been key to its rapid adoption.
Carbon offset credits are also becoming a meaningful revenue stream. Kathairos now serializes thousands of carbon credits in-house, turning avoided methane emissions into a tradable commodity for its producer partners. Researchers tracking the company expect its next push to target international markets, particularly in Oman and the broader Middle East, where methane venting from oil operations remains very high.
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