Iceland's 'Mammoth' Carbon Capture Plant: What It Means For Climate Crisis

A groundbreaking climate initiative is underway in Iceland with the launch of Mammoth, the world's largest plant designed to function like a giant vacuum, removing planet-heating pollution from the atmosphere. The facility is ten times the size of its predecessor, Orca, which began operations in 2021. Both projects were developed by the Swiss company Climeworks, CNN reported.

Direct air capture (DAC), the technology behind Mammoth, uses chemicals to extract carbon from the air. The captured carbon can then be stored underground, converted into solid forms, or used in various products. Climeworks has partnered with Icelandic firm Carbfix for the underground sequestration process, where carbon is injected into volcanic rock and slowly transformed into stone, effectively locking it away permanently.

The plant operates entirely on clean geothermal energy sourced from Iceland's abundant natural resources, a key factor in reducing the carbon footprint. This approach to carbon capture has gained increased attention as global CO2 levels reached record highs in 2023.

The plant is an “important step in the fight against climate change,” said Stuart Haszeldine, a professor of carbon capture and storage at the University of Edinburgh. While Haszeldine acknowledged the importance of the development, he emphasised the plant's current output represents only a small fraction of what is necessary to meet global climate targets.

At full capacity, Mammoth is expected to remove 36,000 tons of carbon annually — equivalent to taking around 7,800 gas-powered cars off the road for a year. However, Climeworks has made it clear that the cost of capturing carbon is still high, with estimates placing the cost per ton closer to $1,000 than the $100 threshold that would make the technology economically viable at scale. The company has ambitious plans to reduce this cost over time, with the goal of reaching $300 to $350 per ton by 2030 and $100 per ton by 2050.

Despite the advancements made with Mammoth, experts caution that current efforts in carbon removal fall far short of what is needed. According to the International Energy Agency, global carbon capture systems can currently remove only about 0.01 million metric tons of carbon annually, a small fraction of the 70 million tons required by 2030 to meet climate goals.

While other companies, such as Occidental in Texas, are working on even larger DAC plants, there is concern that such technologies could potentially be used to support fossil fuel extraction. Critics point out that Occidental plans to store captured carbon deep underground but also intends to use some of it in a process known as enhanced oil recovery, which pushes carbon into oil wells to extract more oil.

But Climeworks emphasises its focus is solely on reducing atmospheric carbon, rather than engaging in fossil fuel extraction.

The company has ambitious goals. Co-founder and co-CEO Jan Wurzbacher said that Climeworks aims to capture one million tons of carbon each year by 2030 and scale it up to one billion tons annually by 2050. To reach these targets, Climeworks is planning to expand its operations with new plants in Kenya and the US.