DOE Launches $3.5B Direct Air Carbon Capture Program
By Ayla Kanber, Earth Forward Group
On May 19, the United States Department of Energy (DOE) announced a Notice of Intent (NOI) to fund the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s $3.5 billion program to capture and store carbon dioxide pollution directly from the air.
Specifically, the Regional Direct Air Capture Hubs program will consist of four large-scale, regional direct air capture hubs — each comprising a network of carbon dioxide removal projects, potential carbon dioxide utilization off-takers, transportation infrastructure, subsurface resources, and storage infrastructure.
Each hub is estimated to have the capacity to capture and permanently store at least one million metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere per year. These efforts will help address the impacts of climate change, create good-paying jobs and prioritize community engagement and environmental justice.
The UN’s latest climate report made clear that removing legacy carbon pollution from the air through direct air capture and safely storing it is an essential weapon in our fight against the climate crisis. President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is funding new technologies that will not only make our carbon-free future a reality but will help position the U.S. as a net-zero leader while creating good-paying jobs for a transitioning clean energy workforce.
— Statement from U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm
The purpose of direct air capture is to separate carbon dioxide from ambient air. Once separated, the carbon dioxide is permanently stored deep underground or converted for use in long-life products like concrete, which prevents carbon dioxide release back into the atmosphere. These hubs differ from carbon capture systems at industrial facilities and power plants that prevent additional emissions from being released into the air in the first place.
The deployment of these direct air capture technologies and storage infrastructure will help decarbonize the economy through methods like clean power, efficiency, and industrial innovation. The program will also aid in delivering President Biden’s goal of achieving an equitable transition to a net-zero economy by 2050.
Click here to read the DOE announcement about the $3.5 billion program for capture carbon pollution.
Click here to read the Notice of Intent (NOI) to fund the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s carbon capture program.
Click here to read the Executive Order signed by President Biden to become net-zero economy by 2050.
