Occidental Petroleum and its subsidiary 1PointFive have received approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for Class VI permits allowing the underground storage of carbon dioxide captured from the STRATOS Direct Air Capture (DAC) facility in Ector County, Texas.
The permits, issued under the Safe Drinking Water Act’s Underground Injection Control programme, are the first in the United States specifically granted for sequestering CO₂ from a DAC project. They authorise the injection of carbon dioxide into geologic formations over a mile below the surface, following a regulatory review process in which Occidental demonstrated compliance with federal and state standards for monitoring and site integrity.
STRATOS, expected to begin commercial operations in 2025, is projected to capture up to 500,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually. Once operational, it will be the world’s largest DAC facility, targeting the removal of carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere.
The approval forms part of a broader U.S. effort to expand carbon capture and storage infrastructure, which is viewed by regulators and industry as one approach to managing industrial emissions and supporting climate goals. The project also aligns with growing federal support for technologies that seek to address atmospheric CO₂ while ensuring secure storage in deep geological formations.
