Occidental and its subsidiary 1PointFive have secured the first-ever Class VI permits issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for sequestering CO2 from direct air capture (DAC) operations.
This pioneering permits will be used to sequester the atmospheric carbon dioxide captured at the Stratos DAC facility, currently being developed by Occidental and 1PointFive in Ector County, Texas.
Expected to come online this year, this ambitious initiative will capture CO2 directly from the air, part of which will then be compressed into a liquid and stored safely underground, while another part will be repurposed into the production of low-carbon products.
As part of the project development, Occidental and 1PointFive have partnered with Origis Energy, which will leverage its Swift Air Solar project to deliver zero-emission solar power for Stratos.
Once fully operational, the Stratos DAC facility is expected to be the world’s largest direct air capture project, able to collect up to 500,000 tonnes of CO2 annually. With the newly obtained EPA permits, Occidental and 1PointFive are one step closer to delivering this landmark project.
Before receiving the permits, the project developers went through a rigorous review process by the EPA, which made sure the technologies, processes, and monitoring programs used in this project comply with federal and state regulations for injection wells that enable the storing of CO2 in geologic formations located more than a mile underground.
As announced by Occidental and 1PointFive, the evaluations demonstrated that their project methodology meets and exceeds the needed standards, which led to the permits being issued for the project under the Safe Drinking Water Act’s Underground Injection Control program.
Relevant: With A $415M Funding, Origis Energy Will Complete Its Solar Energy Site To Power STRATOS
Occidental President and CEO Vicki Hollub stated, “This is a significant milestone for the company as we are continuing to develop vital infrastructure that will help the United States achieve energy security.”
“The permits are a catalyst to unlock value from carbon dioxide and advance direct air capture technology as a solution to help organizations address their emissions or produce vital resources and fuels.”
Read more: 1PointFive Carbon Sequestration Hubs Secure $36M In DOE Funding
