Texas Launches A New Era in Carbon Capture

Going live in 2025, the Stratos facility in Texas will become the world’s largest direct air capture (DAC) plant, extracting significant amounts of CO₂ from the atmosphere. This program represents a significant step forward in efforts to combat climate change. Stratos, located in Ector County, Texas, aims to capture up to 500,000 metric tonnes of CO₂ yearly. Construction is around 30% complete, with operations slated to begin in mid-2025. The project is expected to employ more than 1,000 people during construction and approximately 75 once operational.

The facility extracts CO₂ from the air, compresses it into a liquid, and stores it securely underground. This procedure reduces atmospheric CO₂ levels and generates carbon removal credits. Businesses can buy these credits to offset their emissions, making it a viable solution for industries that are difficult to decarbonise.

Occidental Petroleum, through its subsidiary 1PointFive, is driving Stratos development. In November 2023, Occidental announced a cooperation with BlackRock, who spent $550 million in the project. This collaboration demonstrates rising confidence in DAC technology as a viable instrument for combating climate change.The U.S. Department of Energy has also recognized the potential of DAC technology. In September 2024, Occidental’s 1PointFive secured up to $500 million in funding from the Department’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations to develop its South Texas DAC Hub. This facility aims to capture an initial 500,000 metric tons of CO₂ per year, with plans to expand capacity in the future.

Despite the promise of DAC technology, some environmentalists are worried. They claim that the benefits of decarbonisation through DAC have not been completely proven and may not be adequate to balance greenhouse gas emissions. Concerns have been raised concerning the environmental concerns of subterranean CO₂ storage, including seismic activity and leakage.

Regardless, the Stratos project has attracted significant corporate interest already. Companies such as Microsoft and Amazon have agreed to acquire carbon removal credits from DAC plants in order to achieve their environmental targets. Microsoft pledged to purchasing 500,000 metric tonnes of CO₂ removal over six years, while Amazon planned to acquire 250,000 metric tonnes over a decade.

As the Stratos facility moves closer to completion, it represents a significant step in the deployment of DAC technology. Its success could pave the way for more such facilities worldwide, contributing to global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere.

Further reading:

  1. Occidental and BlackRock Form Joint Venture to Develop Stratos, the World’s Largest Direct Air Capture Plant. Retrieved from
    oxy.com
  2. Ector County DAC – STRATOS – 1PointFive. Retrieved from
    1pointfive.com
  3. Occidental’s 1PointFive secures funding of up to $500 mln from US DOE. Retrieved from
    reuters.com
  4. Earthquakes and blowouts undermine case for carbon storage in Texas. Retrieved from
    reuters.com
  5. New underground wells could store carbon dioxide pollution for Microsoft and Amazon. Retrieved from
    theverge.com