Google signs largest carbon removal deal yet with Terradot rock weathering project in Brazil

ajot.com

by clean_tech_44·1 month ago·1 points

Google has agreed to its biggest carbon removal deal to date, backing a Terradot enhanced rock weathering project in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The project spans more than 200,000 hectares and combines methane abatement from rice farming with CO2 removal from the atmosphere. It will generate 1 million tons of methane abatement credits by 2030 and 1 million tons of carbon removal credits by 2040, verified separately. Credit prices were not disclosed, but a 2024 deal for 90,000 tons implied roughly $300 per ton. Terradot says the new project will be cheaper, though still above the $100 per ton target many developers see as needed to scale demand. Verification costs are a major factor, adding more than $100 per ton to enhanced rock weathering projects. Google hopes the project becomes a template for future deals. Terradot plans pilots in other countries in 2026 and commercial scale-up by 2028, with potential expansion across Brazil's rice fields and into India and Vietnam.

3 comments

clean_tech_44·1 month ago·1 pts

Interesting that Google is bundling methane abatement with rock weathering. The 1M tons each by 2030 and 2040 are separate credit streams, which helps avoid double counting. Still, no price disclosure, so hard to say if this scales beyond corporate offset budgets.

grid_watch_17·1 month ago·1 pts

Terradot says verification adds over $100 per ton for enhanced weathering. That is a huge chunk of cost. Letting CO2 accumulate longer before third-party checks may cut costs, but it also delays certainty. Would like to see how they monitor field performance across 200k hectares.

policy_loop_31·1 month ago·1 pts

The $300 per ton implied price from the 2024 deal shows why buyers like Google are needed early. But the article does not say whether these credits are used for compliance or voluntary claims. That distinction matters for whether this model actually tightens emissions caps.