Shreveport picked for North America’s second direct air capture facility

By Wesley Muller
Contributing Writer

(lailluminator.com) — A decarbonization company plans to build North America’s second direct air capture facility in Louisiana as part of an effort to sequester industrial air pollution.

Heirloom Carbon Technologies announced last Monday it is moving forward with the first phase of a decarbonization project that combines public and private investment to build two direct air capture facilities at the Port of Caddo-Bossier, according to a Louisiana Economic Development (LED) press release.

Louisiana taxpayers are giving the company a $3 million grant. The company will also be able to claim up to $7.8 million in tax incentives over 10 years if payroll and employment targets are met, LED said.

Direct air capture is a chemical process that extracts carbon dioxide (CO2) directly from the ambient air, and then stores the CO2 or converts it into another material. The technology relies on the availability of clean or renewable energy sources and carbon storage sites. Heirloom’s technology extracts CO2 from limestone using a renewable energy-powered kiln.

The company plans to partner with CapturePoint, a carbon management company, to store the CO2 captured from these facilities in underground wells at locations to be determined.

The first facility is expected to begin construction by the end of the year. The company estimates it will remove around 17,000 tons of CO2 from the atmosphere annually beginning in 2026.

For the first phase, the company plans to invest $475 million and create 81 new permanent jobs, each with an average annual salary of more than $56,000.

The anticipated second facility would be built as part of Project Cypress, which would use up to $550 million of U.S. Department of Energy funding to create one of the world’s largest direct air capture hubs in Louisiana.

“Louisiana is well positioned to become America’s leader in safely storing carbon dioxide,” Gov. Jeff Landry said in a statement. “Heirloom’s expansion into the Port of Caddo-Bossier means even more growth and more jobs for our State and is another example of how we are leading the race to drive the nation’s energy future. The expansion of Project Cypress Direct Air Capture Hub across the State represents the best of Louisiana – cutting-edge technology at the forefront of the energy economy, powered by innovation and a broad base of highly skilled workers.”

Heirloom opened the continent’s first direct air capture facility in California last year under decarbonization agreements with Microsoft and other large corporations.

This article originally published in the July 1, 2024 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.