Origen Power Limited, a limestone-based carbon removal solutions provider, has announced a new collaboration with Shell US Gas & Power LLC and Mitsubishi Corporation (Americas).
The partnership will focus on engineering studies for a carbon removal project at the Pelican Direct Air Capture Hub in southern Louisiana.
With global temperatures rising, there is an urgent need to mitigate carbon emissions and address the carbon already in the atmosphere. One promising solution is direct air capture (DAC), which aims to capture and remove carbon dioxide from the air.
Origen’s innovative DAC approach leverages abundant limestone’s natural chemistry to capture atmospheric carbon dioxide.
The process involves extracting carbon from limestone rock, storing it safely underground, and converting the limestone into lime. This lime, in turn, plays a crucial role in a passive, naturally occurring process that further captures carbon from the atmosphere.
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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 that result in lower costs—a critical aspect of achieving scalable, economic carbon removal.
The company is the sole limestone-based DAC provider with a proprietary lime kiln and air contactor technology.
By strictly implementing these steps, Origen DAC deployments benefit from operating efficiencies, which result in lower costs. Reduced costs are a vital feature of achieving scalable, economic carbon removal.
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Origen’s technology is designed to be fuel-flexible, minimizing short-term energy sourcing constraints and ensuring long-term viability for current and future projects.
The Pelican DAC Hub represents a collaboration among Louisiana State University, the University of Houston, Shell, and Mitsubishi. Last year, this consortium received grant funding from the U.S. Department of Energy to assess the feasibility of establishing a DAC hub in Louisiana.
The project will utilize existing Gulf Coast infrastructure, provide benefits to the local energy workforce, and foster further decarbonization innovations in the region.
Louisiana State University, with its extensive experience in research and community engagement from developing Louisiana’s Coastal Master Plan, will lead the community engagement strategy for the project.
Origen and Pelican DAC Hub are now entering the development phase involving joint engineering studies.
The project aims for an initial capacity of up to 50,000 tonnes per year—more than ten times the size of the largest DAC facility currently operating in the U.S.
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Under the agreement, Shell and Mitsubishi will invest up to $3 million in a phased commercial arrangement.
This investment will support Origen’s engineering studies and includes an option for Shell and Mitsubishi to purchase carbon removal credits from Origen, contingent on meeting specific development milestones.
The approach leverages advanced market commitments to accelerate the commercialization of carbon removal technologies.
In addition to the Pelican DAC Hub project, Origen is expanding its global commercial initiatives and plans to further invest in research at its technology and research center in Bristol.
