Marine-based carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technology company Gigablue has signed an agreement with aviation sustainability investor SkiesFifty to sequester 200,000 tons of marine CO2 over the next four years in exchange for investment.
Gigablue’s technology mimics nature’s own carbon capture and removal mechanism, known as the biological carbon pump. Tiny photosynthetic phytoplankton convert carbon into biomass, fulfilling their role as the primary producers of the oceanic ecosystem. As predators consume them, only 1% of the carbon captured reaches the sea bottom.
Gigablue’s marine CO2 removal solution uses a substrate consisting of a contained nutrient shell and a gravity-controlling core that the company said is an ideal environment for local phytoplankton to grow and thrive. Once the phytoplankton multiply and reach a sufficient amount, the controlled sinking trigger activates, and the substrate, together with the attached carbon, sinks to the bottom of the ocean for permanent storage.
SkiesFifty, which focuses on aviation sustainability, began a partnership with the CDR company in 2024. Because of a gap between the availability of sustainable aviation fuel and the amount needed by the industry to meet regulatory requirements, the company said carbon credits are needed to decarbonize the industry. The investment into Gigablue’s CO2 removal in exchange for 200,000 carbon credits over four years helps meet that need.
“At SkiesFifty, we invest in the technologies that will make a difference to a carbon-neutral future for aviation.” said Simon Talling-Smith, Founding Partner at SkiesFifty. “We are constantly evaluating projects and we were deeply impressed by Gigablue’s ocean-based CDR solution. It stood out due to its combination of environmental safety, durability, scalability, and robust scientific measurement. We believe CDR will be an important part of the portfolio of solutions that will lead us to net-zero for aviation by 2050.”
The partners noted that both the United States and the European Union are developing frameworks for validating the measurement, reporting, and verification of marine-based carbon offsets.
“The agreement validates the scalability and effectiveness of our technology,” said Ori Shaashua, Co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer of Gigablue. “We are harnessing the basic building blocks of life on Earth – water and sunlight – to create a financially sustainable carbon removal solution. This will be the largest marine carbon dioxide removal offtake agreement to date and proves our technology’s viability in the market.”
The announcement with SkiesFifty, coupled with a growing pipeline of offtake agreements set to be announced in the coming months, puts Gigablue on a path to remove a gigaton of carbon dioxide by 2035.
