Direct air capture (DAC) technology company Phlair and project developer Carbon Removal, via its subsidiary NorDAC Kollsnes AS, announced a new agreement to build Europe’s first large-scale DAC carbon removal and geological storage project in Øygarden, Norway.
The plant will be located next to the Northern Lights carbon transportation and storage project in Norway, with the project initially targeting 60,000 tonnes of CO2 removal per year, scaling to an expected 500,000 tonnes in the project’s second phase.
DAC technology, listed by the IEA as a key carbon removal option in the transition to a net-zero energy system, extracts CO2 directly from the atmosphere for use as a raw material or permanently removed when combined with storage.
Phlair’s DAC system is designed to run purely on solar electricity and to be load-flexible, enabling it to support the electricity grid while keeping CO2 removal costs low, with the companies claiming that the project should demonstrate how DAC can scale sustainably in coordination with renewable energy infrastructure. Captured carbon will be permanently stored or used for CO2-negative chemicals.
Malte Feucht, Phlair’s CEO, said:
“Europe is at a turning point and can become a leader in carbon management. We are laying the foundations for large-scale, permanent carbon removal.”
Under the new partnership, Phlair will supply its hydrolyzer modules and engineering services, installation, and commissioning, while NorDAC will be responsible for the remaining infrastructure, project development, and operations. During the contract period, Carbon Removal will be Phlair’s exclusive DAC customer in Norway.
According to the companies, the project is set to be in Norway because of the region’s available infrastructure for CO2 storage and its 100% renewable power grid.
Eirik Lilledahl, Carbon Removal’s Founder and Chair, said:
“We strongly believe in the prospects of DAC in Norway and the potential that DAC has as large-scale contributor to the fight against climate change.