When it begins operations in 2024, DAC 1 is set to become the world’s largest direct air capture (DAC) facility. This landmark project is an important development that can help demonstrate the valuable and unique role of DAC for meeting net zero goals. DAC 1 is being financed and developed by 1PointFive, a development company created by Oxy Low Carbon Ventures (OLCV). It will be located in the Permian Basin of the United States.

The project will use DAC technology from Canada’s Carbon Engineering. It features a scalable setup consisting of air contactors that pull in atmospheric air, which reacts with a potassium hydroxide solution to bind and separate the CO₂. Through a series of chemical reactions this process yields a pure, compressed stream of CO₂ that will be sent to geologic storage sites to permanently remove this carbon from the atmosphere.

In Q1 2021, OLCV awarded the Front End Engineering and Design (FEED) phase to global professional services provider Worley. The FEED phase of DAC 1 is focused on a first capture train with a planned capture capacity of 0.5 MtCO₂/year; the total capacity of the project will subsequently increase to 1.0 MtCO₂/year. The project is supported by a multi-million dollar investment from United Airlines, and, upon approvals, two key policies: California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard and the United States’ 45Q tax credit.