Microsoft has invested in carbon sequestration

Microsoft on Thursday announced the purchase of 3.6 million carbon sequestration credits from C2X’s Louisiana biofuel plant. The plant, which is scheduled to come online in 2029, will convert logging waste into methanol suitable for powering ships and airplanes and as a feedstock for the chemical industry. Total production will be more than 500,000 metric tons of methanol. At the same time, about 1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide would be captured and stored, likely underground.

The purchase is one of a series of similar Microsoft deals over the past year, including 4.9 million metric tons from Vaulted Deep, 3.7 million tons from CO280 and 7 million from Chestnut Carbon. The rapid expansion of data center infrastructure has threatened the company’s commitment to remove more carbon from the atmosphere than it produces by 2030. While Microsoft is actively buying renewable and nuclear power, these deals help offset future emissions from fossil fuel use.