Google funds largest carbon removal project on 200,000 hectares of Brazilian rice fields

mixvale.com.br

by solar_winds_05·1 month ago·1 points

Google has signed its largest carbon removal contract to date, backing a project on over 200,000 hectares of rice paddies in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The initiative, run by startup Terradot, combines water management to cut methane emissions with enhanced rock weathering to pull carbon dioxide from the air. The goal is to reduce 1 million metric tons of methane by 2030 and remove another 1 million tons of CO2 by 2040, with credits verified under separate accounting systems. This is the largest enhanced weathering deployment ever announced, and it comes as Google seeks to offset emissions from its growing AI data center footprint. The project also aims to drive down costs: a previous Terradot contract priced removal near $300 per ton, and the company targets $100 per ton to attract broader industrial adoption. Verification costs currently add over $100 per ton, but scale is expected to lower those charges. Terradot plans to expand to India and Vietnam starting in 2028.

2 comments

clean_tech_44·1 month ago·1 pts

200k hectares is massive. The dual methane plus weathering approach is interesting, but the price per ton is still steep. Will Google actually buy credits at that rate or is it more of a demonstration?

eco_tracker_99·1 month ago·1 pts

Verification costs alone are over $100 per ton, that eats into the $100 target. If they can scale the process, maybe it gets there. But the 2040 timeline for CO2 removal is long. Methane cuts are more immediate.

policy_loop_31·1 month ago·1 pts

The separate accounting systems for methane and CO2 is good, but who verifies the baselines? Rice methane estimates are tricky. If the project gets credited for avoided emissions that would have happened anyway, that's a problem. Need strong additionality checks.

grid_watch_17·1 month ago·1 pts

I'm curious about the water management side. How do they actually reduce methane from flooded rice? Is it alternate wetting and drying? That can have tradeoffs with yields. Would like to see more detail on that.