Carbon removal developer Deep Sky has secured an AAA-A Pre-Issuance Rating from carbon data provider Sylvera for its planned Deep Sky One direct air capture (DAC) project.
The assessment represents the first Pre-Issuance Rating issued by Sylvera for a DAC facility, following the development of an evaluation framework tailored to the technical and operational risks of direct air capture systems. Pre-Issuance Ratings evaluate commercial projects during development, offering buyers and project financiers an independent audit of carbon accounting integrity and delivery execution risk prior to credit generation.
Deep Sky One represents the company’s second commercial development and ranks among the largest DAC installations currently under development globally. The facility’s AAA-A rating indicates low overall integrity risk, supported by low additionality risk—due to the facility’s reliance on carbon credit revenue—alongside baseline scores for carbon accounting methodologies and long-term storage permanence.
Charlie Renzoni, Vice President of Carbon Markets at Deep Sky, stated: “We’ve already demonstrated at Deep Sky Alpha that we can move from project development to real-world delivery, including issuing North America’s first certified DAC carbon removal credits. This rating means we can bring that same focus on integrity and execution to Deep Sky One before the project is operational, giving buyers and investors an independent view of both the quality of the project and our ability to deliver at scale.”
Hugo Lakin, Carbon Dioxide Removal Lead at Sylvera, added: “DAC is one of the most important tools we have for addressing legacy emissions, but the market needs a shared standard for what a credible DAC project looks like. Our work with Deep Sky gives the market a real reference point.”
The rating framework combines Sylvera’s core Integrity Module—evaluating additionality, accounting, and permanence—with a formal Delivery Risk assessment. Sylvera confirmed that the assessment methodology will be applied across the broader DAC sector as commercial project developers seek off-take agreements and institutional financing for early-stage facilities.
