1PointFive, a subsidiary of Occidental’s Low Carbon Ventures (OLCV) business, and Manulife Investment Management today announced that OLCV and Manulife entered into a lease agreement for approximately 27,000 acres of timberland in Western Louisiana. The agreement provides 1PointFive with access to subsurface pore space and surface rights to develop and operate a carbon sequestration hub, with access to permanently store industrial carbon emissions. Two Class VI injection permits, required by the EPA for geologic sequestration, have already been filed for the site.

 

The lease agreement is a pivotal step in 1PointFive’s strategic vision to develop carbon capture and sequestration hubs, some of which are expected to be anchored by Direct Air Capture (DAC) facilities.

 

Manulife Investment Management’s acreage offers excellent storage capacity within proximity to point source industrial emitters, who would otherwise emit carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. 1PointFive would also like to recognize New Dawn Energy, which is a Manulife land lease partner, and has been cooperative and supportive of the project.

 

“We are excited to join with Manulife and lease the acreage to develop a hub that will provide sequestration infrastructure and services for industrial emitters and 1PointFive’s future DAC facilities,” said Dr. Doug Conquest, Vice President, OLCV. “This agreement strengthens our CCUS position and advances commercial-scale decarbonization solutions in line with Oxy’s net-zero goals.”

 

“We understand the importance our forests and underlying land play as a natural climate solution in decarbonization,” said Eduardo Hernandez, Managing Director and Global Head of Timberland Operations at Manulife Investment Management. “We focus on sustainably managing our forests for climate-positive and nature-positive impact, and we are excited to find additional opportunities to continue this work for clients.”

 

1PointFive and Manulife Investment Management are also exploring other locations and projects throughout the region and country with the potential to add additional acreage for carbon removal and sequestration. 1PointFive adheres to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards for monitoring, reporting and verifying (MRV) the amount, safety and permanence of CO2 stored through secure geologic sequestration. The company and its affiliates hold three EPA-approved MRV plans for geologic sequestration. 1PointFive will apply this expertise toward the safe design and operation of the project.

 

Manulife Investment Management manages approximately 6 million acres of timberland across the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, and Chile. It also oversees approximately 400,000 acres of prime farmland in major agricultural regions of the United States and in Canada, Chile, and Australia.