The state of New Mexico has awarded $500,000 to direct air capture (DAC) company Spiritus, supporting its local expansion and presence that is expected to introduce new job opportunities in the region.
The New Mexico Economic Development Department (EDD) will allocate the funding through a program under the New Mexico Local Economic Development Act (LEDA).
As the recent announcement clarifies, the financial support is intended to help Spiritus in fortifying its footprint in New Mexico, and the funding portions will be rolled out as the DAC company reaches a set of defined construction and hiring benchmarks.
Spiritus Technologies currently has two active facilities in New Mexico—one for materials science in White Rock and a second, pilot one focused on engineering, established on tribal land in Nambé Pueblo, with support from the Nambé Pueblo Development Corporation (NPDC).
For its Nambe operations, Spiritus has signed a six-year lease for a 10,000-square-foot ex-water bottling facility in Santa Fe, where the NPDC will act as fiscal agent for the agreement.
Susie Kritter, program manager at Spiritus Technologies, explained that the Nambe Pueblo agreement has enabled the achievement of technical milestones, while the backing and connections made via EDD have helped Spiritus progress on its business trajectory.
So far, the EDD has supported the DAC company through various assistance programs, including Job Training Incentive Program funds in 2024 and 2025, a Science and Technology Business Startup Grant totalling $50,000, and a $925,000 Advanced Energy Award.
Relevant: Spiritus Launches A Pilot DAC Plant In New Mexico With Support From Nambé Pueblo
With the latest funding received through LEDA, Spiritus will unlock infrastructure improvements and lease abatement to support two prototype scale-ups, expected to come fully online in 2026.
The DAC company started hiring employees in November 2024, and it is expected to onboard 40 new full-time staff members.
EDD Cabinet Secretary Rob Black commented, “New Mexico is a national climate leader, and this collaboration hits home with many of our top goals as an agency.”
He added, “Not only does it support clean and sustainable energy, it also promotes science and technology and prioritizes partnerships with our Native communities.”
Read more: Spiritus Raises $30m In Series A Funding To Scale DAC
