Puro.earth has announced the certification and issuance of over 700 CO₂ Removal Certificates (CORCs) for a bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) project at the VEAS wastewater treatment facility in Slemmestad, Norway. Developed by Inherit Carbon Solutions in partnership with HoopCO2 and Northern Lights JV, the initiative represents the world’s first verified project to capture biogenic CO₂ released during biogas production and permanently sequester it in geological formations. The project, certified under Puro.earth’s Geologically Stored Carbon methodology following third-party verification, covers its initial four months of operation from February to May 2026.

The primary challenge addressed by this initiative is the historical lack of commercial, end-to-end pathways to capture and permanently sequester biogenic CO2 emissions generated as a byproduct of municipal organic waste processing and biogas production. Without dedicated capture and geological storage infrastructure integrated directly into municipal wastewater plants, biogenic CO2 from anaerobic digestion is routinely released back into the atmosphere, missing an opportunity for net-negative carbon dioxide removal.

To resolve this issue, the project consortium integrated an end-to-end capture, transport, and storage value chain directly into existing waste treatment infrastructure. HoopCO2 operates the capture and liquefaction facility at Norway’s largest wastewater treatment plant, capturing the biogenic CO2 generated from processing organic waste for over 800,000 residents. Inherit Carbon Solutions oversees the supply chain, transporting the liquefied CO2 via road to Northern Lights’ receiving terminal in Øygarden. From there, Northern Lights transports the CO2 via pipeline for permanent offshore geological storage 2,600 meters beneath the North Sea seabed.

The operational deployment demonstrates a scalable, investable model for durable engineered carbon removal utilizing existing biogas infrastructure. Over its initial four-month operational period, the facility generated over 700 certified CORCs in the public Puro Registry, with plans to process up to 7,000 tonnes of biogenic CO₂ annually. This milestone establishes Europe’s first certified biogas-based BECCS project, providing verified carbon removal credits to corporate buyers such as Microsoft, DNV, and Nordea while creating a repeatable blueprint for the broader biogas and municipal waste sectors globally.