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| Dr. Sandra Ósk Snæbjörnsdóttir |
We’ve driven 30 minutes outside of Reykjavík to Hellisheiði power station. Providing electricity and hot water to the Reykjavík capital area since 2006, it’s the world’s third-largest geothermal power plant. It’s also the site of an important project in the global fight against climate change: CarbFix. Since 2012, CarbFix has been capturing carbon dioxide, dissolving it in water, pumping it into the ground, and turning it to stone, thus permanently removing it from the atmosphere.
In 2012, CarbFix conducted its first experiments pumping carbon dioxide into the ground. “Now we are binding around one third of the carbon dioxide the station produces, around 12,000 tonnes per year.” said geoscientist Dr. Sandra Ósk Snæbjörnsdóttir. "The next goal, is upping that proportion to make the power station completely carbon neutral. It’s a goal which could happen within the next few years."