The plant was designed and built by Swiss company Climeworks, a global leader in carbon removal via direct air capture technology.

Carbfix receives the CO2 captured by the plant and sequesters it permanently and safely by injecting it into deep basaltic rock formations, where the CO2rapidly turns into stable carbon minerals through natural processes.

Extensive capture of CO2 directly from the atmosphere, in addition to rapid emission reductions, is needed to achieve the world’s climate targets.

Carbfix and Climeworks have a long-standing collaboration on permanent carbon removals in Iceland. Climeworks’ smaller direct air capture plant, Orca, has been in operation at Hellisheiði since the fall of 2021. The carbon removals of Climeworks and Carbfix in Iceland are verified by independent third-party DNV.

For over a decade, Carbfix has moreover permanently stored CO2 emissions captured from ON Power’s geothermal power plant at Hellisheiði. Last year, Carbfix’s pilot plant started storing emissions captured from ON Power’s geothermal power plant at Nesjavellir.