3 min. read
Last updated Oct 20, 2025
Key takeaways
Leverage the market shift. Engineered carbon removal is shifting from pilots to commercial scale. Forward offtake agreements, not spot purchases, will determine which high-durability projects reach operation by 2030.
Create financeable contracts. Clear delivery ramps, substitution terms, assignability, and strong monitoring and verification standards make engineered carbon removal credits bankable and protect the buyer's reputation.
Act now. Buyers need to commit in 2025–2026 to secure delivery of engineered, high-durability carbon removal credits by 2030.
Introduction
Durable carbon removal is moving from promise to practice, and the next two years will decide whether large-scale engineered projects are built in time to meet 2030 climate goals. In the recent webinar From promise to delivery: making high-integrity engineered carbon removal projects succeed, Carbon Direct experts joined leaders from Strategic Biofuels and Graphyte to explore what it will take for engineered carbon removal projects to scale.
The panel included Daniel Sanchez, PhD (Principal Scientist, Carbon Direct), Zach Goldstein (VP of NBS Investments, Carbon Direct Capital), Paul Schubert (Chief Executive Officer, Strategic Biofuels), and Barclay Rogers (Chief Executive Officer, Graphyte). The session was moderated by Trey Sides (Director of Sourcing, Carbon Direct).
Together, they examine why buyers’ offtake decisions in 2025–2026 will determine which projects reach a final investment decision (FID, or the green light for construction) and deliver durable carbon dioxide removal credits before 2030.
What’s happening in engineered carbon removal right now?
According to Dr. Sanchez, “We’re seeing the emergence of engineered carbon removal in the voluntary carbon market, with buyers contracting forward tonnes for delivery over the next five to ten years.”
Engineered carbon removal refers to methods that actively remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it for centuries to millennia. While several approaches are advancing, biomass carbon removal and storage (BiCRS) is leading the way thanks to available technologies and comparatively lower costs. Dr. Sanchez stresses that quality is critical: “Buyers and suppliers both need to distinguish on quality and transparency. That is how we scale with integrity and avoid reputational risk.”
Why should buyers act now to secure high-quality credits?
As Zach Goldstein explains, “If you don’t have financeable offtake, you won’t achieve FID, and you won’t reach commercial operation.”
Key features of a financeable offtake include:
Clear delivery schedules and ramp-up expectations.
Pre-agreed substitution terms if volumes shift.
Assignability so lenders and future owners can rely on the contract.
Strong measurement, monitoring, reporting, and verification (MMRV): the standards that confirm carbon dioxide is really removed and stored.
For buyers, this means contracts allow for more than just purchased credits; they help enable projects to get built and actually deliver their tonnes.
What climate, economic, and social impacts will these credits deliver?
Paul Schubert of Strategic Biofuels shares plans for their Louisiana facility: turning forestry thinnings and sawmill waste into approximately 100 MW of carbon-negative biomass power, with carbon dioxide stored underground directly beneath the site. The project is designed to remove around one million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, while creating local jobs, expanding the tax base, and investing in workforce training and infrastructure.
Barclay Rogers of Graphyte presents a complementary approach called “carbon casting.” The company dries agricultural residues such as rice hulls and encases them in sealed underground chambers built in reclaimed gravel pits. “Plants do the hard work of separating carbon dioxide,” Rogers explains. “We just keep it from decaying so the carbon stays locked away for millennia.” This method offers a low-cost, durable removal option while restoring industrial land into community green space.
Together, these examples highlight how engineered carbon removal projects can deliver climate impact alongside economic and social benefits.
When will engineered carbon credits be available at scale?
Rogers emphasizes that if buyers want engineered carbon removal credits to be delivered in 2030, they need to engage now. “Waiting until 2030 means the supply will not be there.”
Schubert adds that major infrastructure projects require long lead times: “It’s taken us four and a half years to get to the Class VI permit, and we’ve got another four and a half years or so to build the project. Lead times on turbines, compressors, and other kits are real.”
For buyers, that means the critical window to secure contracts is 2025–2026. Acting now ensures delivery by 2028–2030 and provides time for project ramp-up.
How can buyers manage risk while building financeable contracts?
Goldstein advises coordinating early across legal, engineering, and commercial teams: “Your attorneys are doing their job with protections, but make sure the documents are financeable and specific to the asset. Everyone should be able to explain the remedies and live with them.”
Sanchez underscores that sustainability standards and feedstock sourcing must be prioritized to ensure durable climate benefits without unintended consequences such as land-use leakage.
What is the bottom line for carbon credit buyers?
Engineered carbon removal is moving from concept to delivery, but supply by 2030 depends on contracts signed today. Buyers who act now will shape the market, support financeable projects, and help secure durable credits that deliver measurable climate impact and community benefits. The buyers who move first will also help set the standard for integrity in engineered carbon removal.
Carbon Direct helps buyers design financeable offtake contracts and source high-quality engineered projects. If you want durable credits by 2030, the time to act is 2025–2026.
Contact us today to secure your offtake.
