Equinor and Captura are partnering to develop industrial-scale solutions to remove CO2 from the ocean. (Source: Shutterstock)
International energy company Equinor and direct ocean capture (DOC) company Captura announced a partnership to develop industrial scale solutions to remove CO2 from the ocean, according to a Nov. 1 joint press release between the two companies.
The venture will begin with a pilot plant, located onshore at Equinor’s Kårstø natural gas facility in west coast Norway, to remove 1,000 tons per year of excess CO2 from seawater.
Seawater absorbs 30% of global CO2 emissions as part of a natural equilibrium with the atmosphere, according to the press release. Captura’s direct ocean capture technology uses renewable energy and electrodialysis technology to capture CO2 from seawater, allowing the CO2-depleted seawater to absorb more CO2 from the atmosphere.
The facility will draw in and remove CO2 from seawater and may potentially serve as a launch pad for other large-scale commercial plants globally, as the Kårstø plant is the final system in Captura’s pilot and scale-up program, the release stated.
Captura stated that feasibility and design of the pilot plant has commenced, with installation planned for the fall of 2024.
The captured CO2 is planned for the commissioning of Equinor, Shell and TotalEnergies’ Northern Lights project facilities—which is developing the world’s first open-source CO2 transport and storage infrastructure. The pilot will test direct ocean capture technology’s ability to deliver reliable carbon removal credits.
Captura’s business model is to license its technology to global deployment partners. Equinor is both an investor in Captura and the company’s second plant deployment partner.
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