Project Hummingbird

Located along the Kenyan Rift Valley in Naivasha, Project Hummingbird will have the capacity to capture and securely store 1000 tons of CO2 annually (1000tCO/yr). Octavia Carbon will deploy 100  DAC machines in the project featuring their latest model with an annual capture capacity of  10tCO2/yr. The captured CO2 will be injected underground into basalt rock formations which are abundant in the rift valley region for storage. Through chemical reactions i.e mineralization, the  injected CO2 will transform into carbonate minerals, locking away the CO2 for millions of years with no risk of leakage. A geothermal plant on site will provide the waste heat and electricity required to power the plant.

To overcome the energy requirements of DAC, Project Hummingbird will utilize cheap geothermal waste heat to cater to ~85% of its energy requirements. The other ~15% will be catered for by  geothermal electricity. The integration of geothermal energy into the project and its successors will potentially subsidize electricity costs for Kenyans who currently bear the cost of the excess capacity  produced. The project will also create green jobs for local pastoralist communities whose livelihoods have been impacted by prolonged droughts.

Octavia Carbon was founded in June 2022 by Martin Freimüller, an Austrian national who relocated  to Kenya after recognizing its ideal DAC potential. Martin's background as a Global carbon markets  expert at Dalberg sparked his passion for DAC. Duncan Kariuki and Mike Bwondera who had been exploring DAC during their mechanical engineering degrees met Martin through the OpenAir Collective and formed part of the founding team. Today, Octavia Carbon has grown to ~40 employees dedicated to developing globally competitive DAC technology.

• Validated by Puro.earth’s Geologically Stored Carbon Standard - Puro.earth is also accredited by the International Carbon Removal and Offsetting Alliance (ICROA), a unique mark of quality. Their GSC standard is renowned as the industry-leading DAC+Storage MRV protocol.

Their goal is to reverse the effects of climate change and end the fossil fuel age by leveraging Kenya’s renewable energy, geology, and talent to deploy DAC at a low cost in Kenya.  

“Our partnership with Klimate.co is a pivotal step in our mission to position Kenya and Africa as a climate vanguard. Together, we are establishing an alliance to drive DAC as a climate solution that  transcends borders. With a shared commitment to creating a sustainable future, we are set to make  a lasting impact in addressing climate change.”

Martin Freimüller, Founder & CEO of Octavia Carbon