CO2 Energie AG, project developer Airfix and climate company South Pole have announced a joint project for CO2 capture and geological storage in Switzerland.
The companies said the project is set to become the largest of its kind in the country to date, with 21,800 tonnes of CO₂ to be removed over five years.
CO2 Energie is planning to install a system that captures and liquefies CO₂ at a biogas plant close to Zurich.
This will involve the annual capture and subsequent conversion of ~4360 tonnes of CO₂ emissions directly at their point of origin.
This is the second carbon capture project for CO2 Energie. The first system installed is already capturing CO₂, which is supplied to the Swiss gas market and recycled, replacing fossil CO₂.
With this second system, the company said it is going a step further by producing negative emissions for the first time: after capture, the liquefied CO₂ is transported to a geological storage site in northern Europe by truck, train and ship, where it can be stored permanently.
South Pole's subsidiary Airfix plays a key role in ensuring that the CO₂ supply chain runs smoothly. Airfix specialises in the coordination and grouping of services for CO₂ transport and CO₂ storage.
Creating a market for CO₂ capture
In order to standardise the climate value of CO₂ capture, transport and storage, South Pole is developing a climate project in line with the specifications of the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN).
An important milestone in the implementation of the project was recently reached: The Swiss Climate Cent Foundation will guarantee the purchase of CO₂ certificates from this project for an initial value of CHF 10 million (€10.4 million) until 2030.
"This project in negative emissions technologies (NETs) marks a first step for Airfix and South Pole in their vision of creating a market for negative emissions from biomass and scaling it using innovative climate financing," said South Pole in a press release.
"Thanks to its foothold in the biogas and energy market, CO2 Energie AG is a strong partner for advancing NET projects."
The complete capture and liquefaction system is expected to be operational by the end of 2025.
“Largest of its kind” biomass carbon removal & storage project announced in Switzerland
