Elly Yates-Roberts |
Microsoft has signed a memorandum of understanding with Norwegian technology firm Aker Carbon Capture and Denmark energy provider Ørsted to explore ways to support the development of carbon capture and storage at biomass-fired heat and power plants in Denmark.
Microsoft says that by capturing the carbon emitted by those power plants and storing it underground “it is possible to not only reduce, but also remove carbon from the atmosphere”.
“Carbon capture will most likely be an important part of the green transition, and we see opportunities for capturing the carbon at some of our biomass-fired heat and power plants and either store it underground in order to achieve negative emissions or use the carbon for the production of green fuels in Power-to-X facilities,” said Ole Thomsen, senior vice president at Ørsted. “Therefore, we're currently exploring the regulatory, technical, and economic possibilities of carbon capture at our facilities.”
The collaboration will also address technological, regulatory and commercial challenges of carbon capture, and explore opportunities to create negative emissions.
“Partnerships across sectors and digital innovation are key in the fight against climate change,” said Nana Bule, general manager of Microsoft Denmark and Iceland. “The plan to achieve the Danish ambition of 70 per cent carbon reduction by 2030 relies in part on carbon capture and storage at scale, and we're excited to support this alongside Ørsted and Aker Carbon Capture.”