Calix Ltd (ASX: CXL) shares are catching the eye on Tuesday with a very strong gain.
In afternoon trade, the ASX 300 stock is up 15% to $1.47.
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Why is this ASX 300 stock rocketing?
Investors have been scrambling to buy the environmental technology company's shares since the release of an update this morning.
That update relates to the progress it is making with its Direct Air Capture (DAC) projects in partnership with Heirloom.
According to the release, under an exclusive technology licence agreement, Calix's subsidiary Leilac will provide its electric calcination and carbon capture technology to two Heirloom DAC facilities capable of removing up to ~320,000 tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere per year.
The ASX 300 stock notes that carbon dioxide removal is predicted to play a critical role in meeting global climate commitments. An estimated 1-10 billion tonnes of atmospheric CO2 removal per year will be required to mitigate excess emissions and limit global warming.
What's next?
Heirloom is taking things slowly. It will first build a facility that will have a CO2 removal capacity of ~17,000 tons per year. That is expected to be operational in 2026.
A second ~300,000 ton per year facility will be built in phases. The first ~100,000 tons of capacity is expected to come online in 2027.
The release notes that the ~300,000 ton per year facility is Heirloom's contribution to Project Cypress. This is the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-supported DAC Hub that is eligible for up to $600 million in government funding.
Heirloom is responsible for financing the projects, with no capital expenditure by Calix or Leilac. It will also pay Leilac for engineering services required to deliver the projects.
This isn't the first agreement between the two parties. Heirloom and Leilac have previously signed an exclusive, global and perpetual licence agreement for the use of the Leilac technology at all future Heirloom DAC facilities. This is subject to performance conditions being met.
The ASX 300 stock's managing director and CEO, Phil Hodgson, was pleased with the news. He said:
Direct Air Capture is a huge potential market in the global effort to address climate change. Heirloom and Leilac's partnership and complimentary technologies deliver an innovative pathway to drive down DAC costs and be at the forefront of this exciting opportunity. It is pleasing to see the significant progress being made.
This sentiment was echoed by Heirloom's CEO, Shashank Samala. He adds:
We couldn't be more excited to be building these new facilities in Northwest Louisiana. These investments not only bring meaningful economic activity and job creation to the region, but also help to cement Louisiana as a leader in this new energy economy and further America's leadership on the global stage.
