Status
Operational
From vision to reality: Orca is launched
On September 8, 2021, we launched Orca, the world’s first and largest direct air capture and storage plant, making carbon dioxide removal on large-scale a reality.
We improved the capture capacity of Orca by applying a new technology design. The facility consists of eight collector containers, with an annual capture capacity of 500 tons each. The containers are arranged around a central process hall that accommodates all electrics, such as the processing unit, allowing us to operate and control the facility from afar.
The heat and electricity required to run the direct air capture process is supplied by the Hellisheidi Geothermal Power Plant. An important aspect was that Orca is smoothly integrated into the beautiful Icelandic landscape. We therefore chose earthy colours and natural materials that give it a natural touch.
Date
September 2021
Goal
Significant scale-up of Climeworks’ carbon dioxide removal capacity
Location
Iceland, Hellisheidi
Capture capacity
Up to 4,000 tons of CO₂ per year
The virtual tour of the Orca plant
Nathalie Casas, Head of Technology at Climeworks
Orca is Climeworks’ biggest facility to date. We are grateful for the pioneers that enabled us to increase the carbon dioxide removal capacity in Iceland. This facility demonstrates that carbon dioxide removal on a large scale is both possible and necessary.
Orca in the news
The Economist
Shortly after 6 pm on September 9th, the Orca carbon-capture plant, located just outside Reykjavik in Iceland, switched on its fans and began sucking carbon dioxide from the air.
Reuters
The world's largest plant that sucks carbon dioxide directly from the air and deposits it underground is due to start operating on Wednesday, the company behind the nascent green technology said.
The Financial times
The start-up behind the world’s biggest direct carbon capture plant said it would build a much larger facility that would permanently remove millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Launch of the world’s first large-scale direct air capture and storage plant
The 8th of September 2021 marked a monumental milestone in our company history, launching Orca, the world’s first large-scale direct air capture + storage plant with our Icelandic partner Carbfix.
The day began with the former President of Iceland, Mr. Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, who opened the launch event, followed by Ms. Katrín Jakobsdóttir, Prime Minister of Iceland, and Mr. Dagur B Eggertsson, Mayor of Reykjavik. We also welcomed renowned climate scientists Dr. Julio Friedmann of Columbia University and Prof. Thomas Stocker of the University of Bern, as well as Noah Deich, co-founder and President of climate-focused NGO, Carbon180. And last but certainly not least, Dr. Edda Aradottir, CEO of Carbfix- together with our co-CEOs Jan Wurzbacher and Christoph Gebald, who brought their vision of industrial-scale direct air capture and storage into reality.
Our plants
2017
Arctic Fox Our first facility in Iceland marked the beginning of permanent and safe carbon dioxide removal via direct air capture.
2022
On 28 June 2022, we announced the groundbreaking of Climeworks’ second, newest and largest direct air capture and storage plant, Mammoth.
2024
Located in Iceland, Mammoth is Climeworks' second commercial DAC+S plant and it is about ten times bigger than its predecessor plant, Orca.
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