Great Carbon Valley is working to develop direct air capture of CO₂ projects powered by geothermal energy, and CO₂ storage, to be anchored in green industrial hubs in the Great Rift Valley.

For over a decade, Carbfix has employed its technology to capture CO₂ from a geothermal power plant in Iceland and mineralize it in underground basalt rock formations – permanently turning it into stone. Carbfix has furthermore provided mineral storage for the world’s first direct air capture and storage plants developed by Climeworks since 2017. Carbfix aims to leverage this experience to provide the mineral storage required for Great Carbon Valley’s vision, utilizing the area’s large volumes of basaltic formations.

Bilha Ndirangu, CEO of Great Carbon Valley: “Africa is in many respects well positioned to contribute to the fight against climate change. We have significant renewable energy resources, and we have the minerals required to permanently store carbon. Our goal is to be a leader in the transformation towards a green economy, employing both traditional and innovative technologies, to the benefit of not only the world’s climate but also our local communities. Having Carbfix join us on this journey is an important step forward.”

Edda Aradóttir, CEO of Carbfix: “We are very pleased to team up with Great Carbon Valley to explore possibilities of harnessing Kenya’s favourable conditions to build green industries and fight climate change. Iceland and Kenya have some of the very same features in common that can facilitate the development of novel carbon removal technologies, including geothermal energy resources and basalt formations with capacities to safely and permanently store CO₂. It is a core mission for us to build on our long experience in Iceland to implement our technology in other geographies, and we are truly excited about the potential of this new collaboration with Great Carbon Valley.”