Airbus and seven airlines announced on Monday that they had signed a letter of intent to purchase 400,000 tonnes of CO credits.2 that will be captured from the air and stored underground in the United States.
The aircraft manufacturer, along with Air Canada, Air France-KLM, EasyJet, IAG, Latam, Lufthansa and Virgin Atlantic, has entered into this partnership with the firm 1PointFive, according to a press release. This company begins the construction of a capture and storage site in the Permian basin of Texas. It will be operational in 2024, said its president, Steve Belly, during a press conference. With a storage capacity of one million tonnes of CO2it will be the largest storage site for CO2 in the world, “the first on a megaton scale”, according to him.
The technology, known as Direct Air Carbon Capture and Storage (DACCS) aims to capture CO2 in the air using powerful fans, powered by electricity from solar panels, and storing it at a depth of almost 2000 meters. “Direct carbon capture from the air is an emerging technology with huge potential,” said EasyJet’s head of sustainability, Jane Ashton, saying it “will be an essential part of our journey to net zero.”
“No quick fix”
The global aviation sector, responsible for 2 to 3% of global CO emissions2committed last year to achieving net zero CO emissions2 by 2050 to comply with the Paris Agreement, which is supposed to limit global warming to +1.5°C. To achieve this, it is counting on technological innovations and the gradual introduction of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) capable of reducing CO2 emissions by 80%.2 compared to kerosene over their entire life cycle.
“There is no miracle solution to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050,” said Nicolas Chrétien, Head of Sustainability and Environment at Airbus. “There will be residual emissions that will need to be removed permanently, that’s what carbon capture is all about,” he explained.
CO capture and storage technique2 is criticized by some of the leading NGOs against global warming.