In March 2025, the Stockholm Exergi bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) project crossed a threshold that only a handful of engineered carbon dioxide removal (CDR) projects have ever reached: a final investment decision (FID) backed by public subsidy and long-term private offtake commitments. Reaching FID required more than a technically sound project. It required independent assurance that the project could be delivered at the required scale, schedule, and performance.

Carbon Direct served as Microsoft's independent technical advisor from December 2023 through mid-2025, providing project assurance services that enabled Microsoft to commit as the project's anchor offtaker. This is the story of that collaboration.

Key takeaways

• A landmark for carbon removal at scale. Designed to capture approximately 770,000 tonnes of biogenic CO₂ per year, the Stockholm Exergi BECCS project is one of the largest planned BECCS facilities globally, with a target to begin capturing CO₂ by early 2029.

• Independent assurance builds buyer confidence. Carbon Direct's project assurance services enabled Microsoft to commit as anchor offtaker for 500,000 net tonnes of CDR credits per year—at the time, the world's largest permanent carbon removal deal.

• A replicable model for the CDR industry. The layered assurance approach—combining third-party engineering evaluation and independent benchmarking with offtaker-focused advisory — demonstrates a robust model for advancing large carbon removal projects.