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Meta Signs Deal for Advanced Geothermal Power in New Mexico to Support AI Expansion

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Meta has signed an agreement with XGS Energy to develop 150 megawatts of advanced geothermal electricity in New Mexico. The clean energy will power Meta’s expanding artificial intelligence data centers, marking a step forward in the tech giant’s efforts to source sustainable energy for its operations.

This deal highlights a growing trend among major technology companies to secure large-scale, low-carbon power supplies to meet soaring electricity demands driven by AI development. Advanced geothermal energy, unlike conventional geothermal, generates power without relying on natural water sources and produces no climate-warming emissions.

While 150 megawatts is a small portion of the gigawatts of power that Big Tech firms seek for AI data centers, it represents about 4% of total U.S. geothermal production capacity. New Mexico has significant untapped geothermal potential, estimated at around 160,000 megawatts.

The Meta-XGS project is planned to be phased in and operational by the end of this decade. The electricity generated will feed into the local grid and support Meta’s regional operations.

Urvi Parekh, Meta’s Global Head of Energy, said, “With next-generation geothermal technologies like XGS ready for scale, geothermal can be a major player in supporting the advancement of technologies like AI as well as domestic data center development. We’re excited to partner with XGS to unlock a new category of energy supply for our operations in New Mexico.”

Climate Tech Firms Receive $80 Million to Capture Carbon from Paper Mills and Sewage Plants

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A group of climate-focused companies, including Google, H&M, and Stripe, are set to purchase $80 million worth of carbon credits from companies using innovative technologies to capture carbon emissions. These technologies target two industries: paper mills and municipal sewage treatment plants.

Carbon Capture Technologies in Action

The deals, facilitated by the Frontier coalition, involve the purchase of carbon credits from CO280 and CREW, two firms utilizing oil industry technology and natural processes to remove carbon from the atmosphere.

  • CO280 is using carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology developed by SLB, a major oil field services company, to capture carbon emissions from paper mills. This process captures carbon initially absorbed by trees and emitted during paper production.
  • CREW, a startup from New Haven, Connecticut, employs a limestone-based method to capture carbon from wastewater at municipal sewage plants. By adding carbon-attracting limestone to water, CREW can calculate the amount of CO2 it traps as the water goes through treatment.

Financial Commitments for Carbon Removal

The Frontier coalition, which is composed of major players in the tech and finance sectors, including Google, H&M, and Stripe, aims to support emerging carbon capture technologies by purchasing carbon credits from firms that show promise in reducing atmospheric CO2.

  • The coalition has agreed to pay $48 million for 224,500 metric tons of emissions reductions from CO280, at a cost of $214 per metric ton.
  • Additionally, they will pay $32.1 million for 71,878 metric tons of emissions reductions from CREW, at a higher cost of $447 per ton.

These investments reflect the growing commitment of companies to support climate tech and scale carbon removal technologies, with the hope that costs will decrease over time, eventually making carbon capture more accessible.

A Push for Cost-Effective Carbon Removal

Although carbon removal technologies are still in the early stages, the Frontier coalition is betting on their potential to lower costs to $100 per ton or less in the future. Hannah Bebbington, Head of Deployment at Frontier, emphasized that the deals are part of efforts to retrofit older industries with newer carbon technologies. She expressed excitement about the possibility of scaling these technologies to make carbon removal more cost-effective and impactful.

The growing interest from major tech and finance companies is a signal of confidence in the potential of such technologies, even as the world grapples with the challenges of large-scale carbon emissions reduction.

 

BHP and Rio Tinto to Develop Low-Carbon Iron Pilot Plant in Western Australia

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BHP and Rio Tinto have announced plans to jointly develop a pilot plant aimed at producing low-carbon iron from Pilbara ores in Western Australia, marking a significant step in decarbonizing the global steel industry. The announcement, made in a joint statement on Tuesday, highlights the companies’ commitment to advancing sustainable practices in steel production.

Project Details and Technology

The new facility, located in the Kwinana industrial hub of Western Australia, will incorporate renewable energy and use Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) technology in an Electric Smelting Furnace (ESF) to produce molten iron. The pilot plant is expected to have an annual output of 30,000 to 40,000 tonnes of iron. If successful, this approach could lead to near-zero greenhouse gas emissions in iron and steel production, positioning Australian iron ore as a key resource for decarbonizing global steelmaking.

This project is critical as the steel industry is responsible for approximately 8% of global carbon emissions, largely due to the conventional methods used in iron ore smelting.

Collaboration with BlueScope and Woodside

The pilot project, which was initially announced in February as part of a broader effort to reduce emissions in the steel sector, will now proceed with finalised details including the location and output forecasts. The facility will be developed in collaboration with BlueScope Steel, a leader in the steelmaking industry.

Woodside Energy, a major energy provider, will also join the project as an equal equity participant and energy supplier, subject to final commercial agreements. This partnership, named NeoSmelt, is designed to leverage advanced technologies and renewable energy to significantly reduce emissions from steel production.

Timeline and Future Plans

The pilot plant is set to enter its feasibility study phase in Q2 2025, with a final investment decision expected by 2026. If the project proceeds as planned, operations are anticipated to begin by 2028. The companies are optimistic that the success of this initiative could pave the way for a broader shift toward sustainable steel production globally.

This collaborative effort aims to meet the growing demand for steel while contributing to global decarbonization goals, especially in industries like infrastructure and the net-zero energy transition, where steel is a key material.