Construction of Wind-Powered Direct Air Carbon Capture Hub Project Concho Planned in Texas

Return Carbon and Verified Carbon, developers of carbon capture and removal projects, have announced a project to work together on building Project Concho, a direct air capture (DAC) hub to be built in Tom Green County, Texas.

To function entirely on wind power, Project Concho will leverage advanced DAC technology and onsite geological carbon storage to capture and permanently remove CO₂ from the atmosphere. In its first phase, the facility intends to remove 50,000 tons annually before 2030, with expansion plans to reach 500,000 tons per year, creating premium, verified carbon credits having significant value in carbon markets.

Project Concho will be powered by a new wind farm to be built and operated by Greenalia, a global renewable energy producer with presence in wind and solar in Europe and the United States. The technology supporting Project Concho will be provided by carbon removal company Skytree, which was born out of the European Space Agency with DAC units in deployment across Europe, Canada, and the United States.

"The flexibility offered by the DAC hub to optimize around energy price peaks is a game changer for renewable energy projects,” said Alexandre Alonso, SVP of Business Development at Greenalia, in a statement. “It not only strengthens the business case for our wind farm under development in Texas but also contributes to adding innovative business models and alternatives for a greener energy landscape in the U.S."

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The DAC hub will try to ensure a reliable offtake of wind energy in return for access to low-cost power, one of the challenges associated with large-scale DAC projects.

Project Concho's energy optimization will be enabled through its flexible use of power, leveraging the agreement of Greenalia and Concho partners to develop a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) structure allowing price stability and full energy deliverability.

Project Concho will incorporate a connected array of Skytree Stratus DAC units.

"Project Concho brings significant benefits to the Concho Valley, providing new economic opportunities for landowners beyond traditional activities," said Coleman White, co-founder of Verified Carbon and Concho Valley landowner. "Projects like these allow us to maintain traditional land uses while benefiting from a new income source and supporting projects that sustain both our environment and local economy".

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