Oxford Type 3
Reduction & long-lived storage
This category typically consists of industrial, point source carbon capture (e.g., at a smokestack or an oil well), with the carbon then stored for the long-term, for instance in underground caves or wells.
Sample projects
Project Interseqt: Carbon Capture & Storage from Ethanol
Enchant Energy: Coal Carbon Capture and Sequestration
Benefits
Capturing and sequestering CO2 at major point sources of emissions is an efficient way to remove meaningful amounts of carbon from the atmosphere and thereby drive meaningful impact.
Challenges
- Additionality:
Because many of these projects, at least in the United States, also benefit from tax credits, carbon offsets may not be additional because the offsets themselves are not a but-for cause of the project. - Limited availability:
For similar reasons, offsets in this category are uncommon because projects in this category often do generate them.