Climeworks removes CO2 from the air in Iceland
In Hellisheiði, Iceland, Climeworks lays the foundation for a decisive scaling of CO2 capture from the air. The geothermal power plant there provides the renewable energy, Climeworks builds the separation systems, Carbfix stores the CO2 underground.
Climeworks , the Reykjavik energy supplier ON Power and the Icelandic company Carbfix have agreed to combine their technologies for capturing CO2 from the air and for its permanent storage. Climeworks and Carbfix describe these agreements in their respective media releases as “groundbreaking” as well as a “milestone in the fight against climate change” and “turning point in climate protection”: “For the first time, the technologies for a project of this magnitude to remove carbon dioxide from the air combined with each other ”, it says there. The new facility will permanently remove 4,000 tons of carbon dioxide from the air every year.
At the site of the third largest geothermal power plant in the world, the Icelandic Hellisheiði, Climeworks is building systems for the separation of CO2 from the air. The Direct Air Capture Technology (DAC) from Climeworks is used for this. The geothermal energy and heat provided by ON Power ensures that DAC technology has a constant supply of renewable energy.
The Climeworks agreement with Carbfix ensures the safe and permanent storage of carbon dioxide through natural underground mineralization. According to Carbfix , the underground basalt rock formations in Iceland offer ideal conditions for this process.
"This collaboration with ON and Carbfix is a big step forward," said Jan Wurzbacher, co-founder and co-CEO of Climeworks, in a press release from Climeworks. "We can reach net zero."
ON Power is “immensely proud of this collaboration” between ON, Carbfix and Climeworks. It shows "how innovative projects can come together to create and expand one of the solutions to global warming". The company is pleased to "support the work of Climework in the future".