Shreveport Selected for Second Direct Air Capture Facility in North America • Louisiana Illuminator

A decarbonization company plans to build North America’s second direct air capture facility in Louisiana as part of an effort to sequester industrial air pollutants.

Heirloom Carbon Technologies announced Monday that it is launching the first phase of a decarbonization project that combines public and private investments to build two direct air capture facilities at the Port of Caddo-Bossier, according to a press release from Louisiana Economic Development (LED).

Louisiana taxpayers are giving the company a $3 million grant. The company will also be able to claim tax credits of up to $7.8 million over 10 years if wage and employment targets are met, LED says.

Direct air capture is a chemical process that extracts carbon dioxide (CO2) directly from the surrounding air and then stores the CO2 or converts it into another material. The technology is based on the availability of clean or renewable energy sources and carbon dioxide storage sites. Heirloom technology involves extracting CO2 from limestone using a furnace powered by renewable energy.

The company plans to partner with CapturePoint, a carbon management company, to store CO2 captured at these facilities in underground wells at specific locations.

Construction of the first facility is scheduled to begin at the end of the year. The company estimates that starting in 2026, it will remove approximately 17,000 tons of CO2 from the atmosphere annually.

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In the first stage, the company plans to invest $475 million and create 81 new permanent jobs, each of which will have an average annual salary of over $56,000.

The anticipated second facility will be built as part of the Cypress project, which will use up to $550 million in U.S. Department of Energy funds to create one of the world’s largest direct air capture hubs in Louisiana.

“Louisiana is well-positioned to become America’s leader in safe carbon storage,” Gov. Jeff Landry said in a statement. “Heirloom’s expansion into the Port of Caddo-Bossier means even more growth and more jobs for our state and is another example of how we are leading the race for the nation’s energy future. The statewide expansion of the Project Cypress Direct Air Capture Hub represents the best of Louisiana – cutting-edge technology at the vanguard of the energy economy, powered by innovation and a broad base of highly skilled workers.”

Heirloom opened the continent’s first direct air capture facility in California last year as part of decarbonization deals with Microsoft and other large corporations.