Microsoft confirms it has not stopped carbon removal plans
Microsoft announced it will purchase 650,000 metric tons of carbon removal credits from the startup BioCirc. Although this deal is not particularly large in volume, it is significant for the industry. Last month, media reports suggested the tech giant had paused new carbon removal contracts, but this new agreement refutes those rumors. This is reported by Techcrunch.com reports .
BioCirc representatives confirmed to TechCrunch that the contract was signed in May. Microsoft controls more than 90 percent of the carbon removal credit market, so every decision the company makes determines the survival of young startups in this sector. The company's Chief Sustainability Officer, Melanie Nakagawa, emphasized that the program has not been stopped, but the strategy for achieving goals is being revised.
Under the new project, BioCirc will use five biogas plants. These facilities process agricultural waste in industrial bioreactors to produce methane and carbon dioxide. The resulting carbon dioxide is captured and stored in underground reservoirs beneath the seabed, while the methane is burned to generate electricity.
Microsoft's activity in the field of AI (artificial intelligence) is making it difficult to achieve its environmental goals. To power its data centers, the company is building a large natural gas-fired power plant in Texas in partnership with Chevron. The harmful emissions from this project are expected to be significantly higher than the amount reduced through the deal with BioCirc.
The company plans to achieve "carbon-negative" status by 2030. To do this, Microsoft must remove more carbon than it emits into the atmosphere. At a time when energy consumption is rising due to AI technologies, the company is required to further increase its carbon removal purchases.
