Spiritus, a direct air capture project developer, announced the filing of a Class VI permit application with the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality for its Orchard One project.
This milestone paves the way for what could become the world’s largest DAC facility, designed to remove 2 million tonnes of CO2 annually from the atmosphere, with first-phase operations beginning by 2026 at a fraction of current industry costs, the company said in a news release.
The permit, filed by Spiritus’ sequestration partner Casper Carbon Capture, aims to capture CO2 from the atmosphere and inject it into a deep saline aquifer located in Natrona County, Wyoming. Spiritus’ innovative passive sorbent technology aims to reduce DAC costs to below $100 per ton, a dramatic reduction over current industry rates of $600-$1,000 per ton.
“The Class VI permit application for Orchard One represents concrete progress towards our ambitious carbon removal goals. Our direct air capture technology, which uses a passive sorbent approach, reduces energy consumption and costs,” said Charles Cadieu, co-founder and CEO of Spiritus. “This permit filing addresses environmental and operational considerations for large-scale carbon removal, moving us closer to providing a cost-effective solution for industries seeking to meet their climate commitments.”
The project plans to inject up to 6 million metric tons of CO2 over a 15-year period. The first injection will sequester CO2 at an initial rate of 50,000 metric tons per year, ramping up to a maximum of 750,000 metric tons per year.
“We’ve already secured purchase agreements with climate action groups Frontier, Watershed, and Terraset. Our recent memorandum of understanding with Saudi Aramco opens the potential for further commercial scaling,” said James Burbridge, Director of Business Development at Spiritus. “These partnerships demonstrate the growing demand for high-quality, verifiable carbon removal solutions.”
As one of the first DAC projects of this size to enter the permitting phase, Orchard One will likely serve as a model for future large-scale carbon removal initiatives. The project’s progress also signals confidence in DAC as a viable climate solution, stimulating acceleration and development in the sector. By utilizing a passive sorbent approach that requires less electricity, Spiritus aims to both reduce operational cost and maximize the net-carbon removal associated with DAC. This makes carbon removal more accessible and environmentally friendly for a wider range of industries and organizations.
The Casper Carbon Storage project showcases the potential of using geological formations for large-scale carbon storage, providing a model for future projects worldwide. Rigorous safety measures and continuous monitoring will be implemented to ensure the integrity of the storage site and early detection of any potential issues.
