On Monday, carbon storage start-ups RepAir Carbon and C-Questra announced the European Union’s first onshore Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) project. The partnership aims to launch the region’s first Direct Air Capture and Storage (DACS) facility in Grandpuits, near Paris, helping Europe achieve its climate goals by capturing and storing CO2.
Dutch carbon storage start-up C-Questra partnered with American carbon removal company RepAir Carbon to create this innovative solution. Traditional carbon capture systems consume excessive energy and can even emit more CO2 than they capture, often proving too expensive for large-scale use. These systems also rely on solvents and sorbents, which require frequent replacement and present health risks.
RepAir’s system, however, is different. The company claims it uses no heat and only electricity, cutting energy consumption by 70%. Carbon will be stored underground in geological formations like saline aquifers, with comprehensive monitoring to ensure safety and permanence.
Being an onshore project, the initiative avoids costly offshore infrastructure, making it cheaper. C-Questra has already applied for a permit to develop the onshore CO2 storage site in the Île-de-France region.
The goal is to remove 100,000 tons of CO2 annually by 2030, with potential to scale to megatons by 2035. This project aligns with the Mediterranean Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Strategic Plan, developed by France, Italy, and Greece.
“This sets a new standard for scalable carbon removal in Europe,” said RepAir’s head of strategy, Jean-Philippe Hiegel, noting the technology’s efficiency and potential to drive global decarbonization.
