RepAir Carbon US and C-Questra have signed a strategic partnership to develop the European Union’s first onshore Direct Air Capture and Storage (DACS) project in France.
The project, at Grandpuits near Paris, marks the first onshore Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) project of its kind in the EU, eliminating the need for expensive midstream and offshore infrastructure.
It also uses a heat-free, ultra-modular electrochemical technology, provided by RepAir, which reduces energy consumption by 70% compared with conventional DAC solutions by relying solely on electricity.
Conventional DAC solutions face criticism for their high energy consumption, resulting in prohibitive cost at scale. Additionally, these systems rely on solvents and sorbents that require regular replacement and introduce potential health and safety risks.
RepAir’s approach requires only electricity, providing a cost-effective, safe, and scalable solution for atmospheric CO2 removal.
The new partnership creates the first DACS value chain on French soil that enables co-location of capture and storage facilities.
C-Questra has applied for a permit to develop an onshore CO2 storage site. By 2030, the goal is to remove 100,000 tonnes of CO2 per year from the atmosphere, scaling up megatonnes by 2035.
Jean-Philippe Hiegel, Head of Strategy and Growth at RepAir Carbon, said it sets a new standard for efficient, scalable carbon removal in Europe.
He said the combination of its technology, which uses just 0.6 MWh per tonne of CO2 captured, compared to 2.5 MWh for most competitors, and C-Questra’s set of carbon storage expertise, addresses a key barrier to widespread DACS adoption.
The collaboration also includes a commitment to explore local manufacturing opportunities in the Île-de-France region, thus creating new green jobs, and developing similar DACS projects in other EU countries.
Walid Sinno, Founder and CEO of C-Questra, said as one of the few CO2 storage companies operating independently from the fossil fuel industry, C-Questra offers the paramount safety, permanence and sustainability needed to rapidly advance CCS projects in Europe.
He said, “Our partnership with RepAir allows us to demonstrate Europe’s ability to mature onshore direct air capture and storage projects. This is important to balance the momentum created by the US Inflation Act and resurface Europe as a leader in the CDR space.”
The project aligns with France’s recently published CCS strategy, which outlines ambitious goals for the amount of CO2 that needs to be captured and stored in France by 2030 (4-8.5 million tonnes). It is well-positioned to capitalise on European funding opportunities, including the Innovation Fund, where no DAC project has yet been funded.
