Frontier buyers have signed a $31.3 million agreement with Planetary, a Canada-based climate tech firm, to expand deployment of ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE), a technique that could become one of the most cost-effective tools for carbon removal.
Under the deal, Planetary will remove 115,211 metric tons of carbon dioxide between 2026 and 2030, setting the price per ton at $270. The project builds on Planetary’s pilot, which earlier this year delivered the world’s first independently verified OAE removals. Deliveries under this contract are set to begin in 2026.
Frontier providing catalytic support for carbon removal
Frontier Climate is a joint effort backed by Stripe, Google, Shopify, Meta, and McKinsey to spend over $1 billion by 2030 on new ways to permanently remove carbon dioxide from the air.
Its Head of Deployment Hannah Bebbington explained the vote of confidence for Planetary’s approach by saying, “Ocean alkalinity enhancement can remove CO2 from the atmosphere extremely cheaply and efficiently. But expanding it beyond small-scale trials calls for ironclad measurement and safety protocols, alongside addressing community concerns. Planetary is taking on these challenges head on with a rigorous MRV approach and thoughtful community engagement at their Tufts Cove site. This is the right project and team to pave the way forward for this promising pathway.”
Ocean alkalinity enhancement boosts the ocean’s natural chemistry to capture CO2, converting it into stable bicarbonate that remains locked away for more than 10,000 years. It also helps buffer against ocean acidification in coastal areas. That can improve survival rates for oysters, lobsters, crabs, and other marine calcifiers, a benefit for both fisheries and natural ecosystems.
Planetary leverages existing coastal facilities, like cooling water outfalls at power plants, avoiding the need for massive new infrastructure.
Costs for OAE across the industry and the spectrum of approaches it has are broadly projected at $50–$160 per ton, with credible pathways under $100, making it potentially one of the cheapest and most scalable carbon removal methods.
Scaling Safely
The substantial funds will now go towards building out the capabilities for larger trials and scaling afterwards. Mike Kelland, CEO of Planetary is focused on both its potential for mass deployment and deploying it with vigilance. “This offtake with Frontier buyers allows us to demonstrate that ocean alkalinity enhancement can safely and effectively remove CO2 beyond small-scale trials. This approach could be the cheapest and most scalable carbon removal solution. We’re eager to show how it can be rolled out responsibly,” he says.
Ocean carbon removal safety is definitely top of mind for Planetary is looking to position itself as a steward of the waters it operates in. Placing MRV (measurement, reporting and verification) within its operations the company wants to build trust in its method.
Several measures are directly embedded within their workflows: screening of feedstocks, deployment of networks of sensors that track the chemistry on water in real tie, as well as what the company calls “stop triggers” that can halt a particular operation if anything is outside of safety levels.
The risks are also mentioned by Jim Hepworth, CEO of Business Development and Social Enterprises, The Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq but while also expressing enthusiasm about the need for climate action: “As Mi’kmaw people, our responsibility to the ocean and environment is rooted in generations of knowledge and care. We’re encouraged to see innovative climate solutions, like those being developed by Planetary, approached with attention to both science and community. Our ongoing conversations with them reflect a broader recognition that Indigenous voices are vital to the future of environmental innovation.”
Planetary operating in choppy waters
This successful offtake agreement follows a $11.35 million Series A funding round in October 2024, an XPRIZE award and the recent issuing of the first-ever carbon credits from OAE.
A batch of 625.6 credits were generated for buyers Stripe, Shopify, and British Airways in a deal that saw the first independent verification of marine-based CDR, performed by Isometric.
But it hasn’t all been smooth sailing.
In April 2025 the company canceled a trial project that was to take place in St. Ives Bay in Cornwall, UK. The plans faced strong public opposition from locals and organizations worried about the ocean carbon removal project’s ecological impact, who asked for further research and more rigorous safety regulations
Read more: Planetary Issues The First-Ever OAE Carbon Credits, Verified By Isometric
