Engineering provider Aker Solutions has signed a strategic agreement with Microsoft aimed at accelerating the development, bankability, and execution of carbon capture and storage (CCS) and carbon dioxide removal (CDR) projects worldwide.
Announced at the ONS energy conference in Stavanger, Norway, the partnership targets common commercial and technical hurdles that delay projects moving from initial feasibility toward final investment decisions (FID).
Under the agreement, the two companies will engage with project developers, industrial emitters, transport and storage operators, and governments to streamline early-stage project engineering and strengthen project investment cases.
The initiative combines Aker Solutions’ end-to-end engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) capabilities with Microsoft’s digital technologies, artificial intelligence, and carbon market infrastructure.
By aligning digital and physical development tracks, the collaboration aims to provide developers with an integrated pathway from early feasibility studies through full facility operations.
Integrating AI And Digital MRV To Strengthen Carbon Market Integrity
A central focus of the partnership involves leveraging Microsoft’s digital monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) tools to validate captured carbon volumes and enhance the creditability of CDR assets.
The collaboration supports Microsoft’s broader corporate goal to become carbon negative by 2030 and eliminate its historical carbon emissions by 2050 through long-term off-take agreements and market-building initiatives.
Relevant: BeZero Offers A Unique Look Inside Microsoft’s CDR Risk Ratings
Aker Solutions CEO Kjetel Digre noted that success in the maturing CCS market depends on cross-industry collaboration to manage complexity and strengthen underlying business models.
Darryl Willis, Corporate Vice President of Energy and Resources at Microsoft, emphasized that connecting physical infrastructure with trusted data and AI will help credible carbon capture projects move faster from ambition to execution.
The joint offering is designed to reduce execution risks for project sponsors while building greater market confidence among carbon credit buyers and financial institutions.
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