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.

“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

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 subsidise 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.

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.

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Project Hummingbird is the Global South’s first DAC+Storage plant that will be commissioned by Octavia Carbon in partnership with Cella Mineral Storage. The project will foster climate innovation  in Africa and shift the current landscape of DAC deployment. Located along the Kenyan Rift Valley in Naivasha, Project Hummingbird will utilise the geology of the rift valley for long-term storage.

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.  

Octavia Carbon was founded in June 2022. Martin Freimüller, an Austrian national who relocated to Kenya after recognising its ideal DAC potential, is joined by Duncan Kariuki and Mike Bwondera who had been exploring DAC during their mechanical engineering degrees. Today, Octavia Carbon has grown to ~40 employees dedicated to developing globally competitive DAC technology.