Delays in the construction of the new injection facility in Helguvík, which is specifically designed for DemoUpCARMA, CO₂SeaStone and DemoUpStorage, required temporary use of Carbfix’s existing wells. Injections at Helguvík are scheduled to start in 2023 after having completed the drilling of the wells and initial seismic monitoring.

Disruptions in global supply chains led to a delayed start of the installation work at the designated injection site in Helguvík, with drilling work still ongoing. In the meantime, the existing injection infrastructure of the Icelandic project partner Carbfix at Hellisheiði will be used to start the injection of Swiss CO₂ for permanent mineralization underground. Once the facilities at Helguvík are in place, a novel injection technique using seawater instead of freshwater will be tested. So far, four ISOtainers containing a total 80 tons of CO₂ have been delivered to the Hellisheiði site. Once the CO₂ has been injected, the ISOtainers will be returned to Switzerland. At ARA Bern, they will be refilled with CO₂ and shipped to Iceland.

Established injection process at Hellisheiði

Carbfix developed its mineralization technology at the Hellisheiði geothermal power plant, where it has since 2012, injected more than 80 thousand tons of CO₂. The Carbfix process imitates and accelerates a natural process. It requires only CO₂, water, and favorable rock formations, with no other elements needed for the mineralization process to take place. The CO₂ is captured on-site from the nearby geothermal power plant. The mineralization process in the basaltic subsurface has been scientifically confirmed at this location.

Injection of CO₂ shipped from Switzerland at the Helguvík site is planned for early 2023, as the drilling work continues. Following the drilling, an initial series of seismic measurements will be carried out before setting up the aboveground injection plant. The focus here is on the application of a new process in which CO₂ is dissolved in seawater instead of freshwater before injection into the basaltic subsurface for mineralization.