Origen signs agreement to launch engineering phase of the Pelican Gulf Coast Carbon Removal Direct Air Capture project, including advanced carbon credit commitments
The project is expected to remove up to 50,000 tonnes of carbon per year. The potential offtake includes up to $3 million in advanced carbon removal credits.
Bristol, U.K. and Houston, Tex. — September 11, 2024 — Origen Power Limited (“Origen”), a growing limestone-based carbon removal provider, announced today that it has signed an agreement with Shell US Gas & Power LLC (“Shell”) and Mitsubishi Corporation (Americas) (“Mitsubishi”) to collaborate on the engineering studies for a carbon removal project at the Pelican Direct Air Capture Hub (“Pelican DAC Hub”) in southern Louisiana.
In the face of rising global temperatures, there is an urgent need to slow the pace of carbon emissions as well as reduce the amount of carbon already in the atmosphere through solutions including direct air capture (DAC). Origen’s differentiated approach to DAC uses the natural chemistry of highly abundant limestone to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Origen separates the carbon from the limestone rock, safely storing it underground, to create the mineral lime. Lime is then effective at pulling carbon from the atmosphere through a naturally occurring and passive process.
“In order to have the climate impact we need, direct air capture companies like Origen need to deploy projects at scale. We are thrilled to collaborate with Pelican DAC Hub and look forward to working together with Shell and Mitsubishi who bring over 50 years of global project development experience,” stated Ben Riddle Turner, Origen’s CEO.
Origen is the only limestone-based DAC provider with a proprietary lime kiln and air contactor technology. By tightly integrating these steps, Origen DAC deployments benefit from operating efficiencies which result in lower costs — a critical aspect of achieving scalable, economic carbon removal. The company’s technology is also fuel-flexible, limiting short-term energy sourcing bottlenecks and future-proofing projects deployed today.
The Pelican DAC Hub is a collaboration between Louisiana State University, University of Houston, Shell and, Mitsubishi. The consortium was awarded grant funding from the U.S. Department of Energy last year to evaluate the feasibility of building a DAC hub in Louisiana.
The project will leverage existing infrastructure in the Gulf Coast, benefit the local energy workforce, and support further decarbonization innovation in the region. The project is embarking on a community engagement strategy led by Louisiana State University who bring extensive research and community engagement expertise through decade long experience helping develop Louisiana’s Coastal Master Plan.
Origen and Pelican DAC Hub now begin the development process, which includes collaboration on engineering studies. The project has an envisioned initial capacity of up to 50,000 tonnes per annum — more than 10 times the size of the largest operating DAC facility in the U.S. today.
As part of the agreement, Shell and Mitsubishi will commit up to $3 million in a phased commercial agreement with commitment from Origen to deliver engineering studies with an option to offtake carbon removal credits from Origen, subject to completion of development milestones. Advanced market commitments are being used in the carbon removal market to accelerate commercialization.
Beyond this project at the Pelican DAC Hub in Louisiana, Origen continues to grow and scale its commercial projects worldwide. The company also plans to invest in further research at its technology and research center in Bristol. For more information about Origen, visit www.origencarbon.com.
About Origen
Origen is a UK and US-based climate technology company founded by preeminent thinkers in carbon removal and industrial technology, who believe in the power of limestone to permanently sequester CO2 and reverse the impacts of climate change. Origen's direct-air-capture (DAC) technology uses the natural chemistry of abundantly available limestone rock to durably remove CO2 from the air with its green lime kiln and low-intensity air contactor. The company aims to scale to millions then billions of tonnes of carbon removal to achieve its mission, “The Atmosphere, Restored.”