From the Port of Hamburg to the world: DACMA is developing DAC technology for global deployment at its new Competence Centre
Guest article by Oliver Schenk – Hamburg Renewable Energy Cluster
WitIn a recent guest article on the website of the Hamburg Renewable Energy Cluster, Oliver Schenk highlights the new DACMA Competence Centre currently under construction in the Port of Hamburg – → click here for the full article.
With the ground-breaking ceremony in December 2025, DACMA GmbH has given the go-ahead for an industrial research and development centre for Direct Air Capture (DAC). The centre bridges the gap between laboratory, prototype and commercial deployment – with a focus on the further development of existing DAC plants as well as the development of a new generation for international roll-out.
At the heart of the international strategy is a long-term partnership with Deep Sky, Canada’s leading developer of large-scale carbon removal projects. Together, DACMA and Deep Sky are developing the next generation of DAC technology for one of the world’s largest DACCS plants – with a scaling perspective from an initial 600 tonnes up to 500,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually. A strong signal: technology from Hamburg is playing a central role in one of the world’s most ambitious climate protection projects.
Groundbreaking ceremony for the new DACMA Competence Center in the Port of Hamburg
- sat 1 : https://www.sat1regional.de/klimawandel-technologie-aus-hamburg-soll-in-kanada-co2-aus-der-luft-filtern/
- NDR : https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/hamburg/direkt-aus-der-luft-forschungszentrum-testet-co2-abscheidungstechnologie,dacma-100.html
- Tagesschau : https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/regional/hamburg/direkt-aus-der-luft-forschungszentrum-testet-co2-abscheidungstechnologie,dacma-100.html
From vision to reality: building the DACMA Competence Center
With a groundbreaking ceremony, DACMA GmbH, eFuel DAC GmbH, and eFuel GmbH Groundbreaking ceremony for the DACMA Competence Center. The research and development center will serve as a central platform for the further development of modular direct air capture (DAC) plants—a key technology that captures carbon dioxide directly from the ambient air and thus makes a decisive contribution to climate protection.
Hamburg sets an example for climate protection and innovation
At the same time, DACMA announced a major order from Canadian project developer Deep Sky to supply the first DAC plants for a large-scale project in Canada. This milestone underscores Hamburg’s role as a center of innovation and demonstrates the economic maturity of CO₂ removal from the atmosphere.
Dr. Melanie Leonhard, Senator for Economics, Labor, and Innovation, emphasized:
“The DACMA Competence Center is an important step for Hamburg: We are extracting carbon dioxide directly from the air and turning it into an opportunity for industry, value creation, and climate protection. Here in the port, Hamburg is showing how ideas become infrastructure and innovation has an international impact.”
Hanspeter Tiede, CEO of eFuel DAC GmbH, explained:
“By capturing CO₂ directly from the air, we are laying the foundation for climate-neutral fuels. The DACMA Competence Center is a crucial step in bringing this technology from the laboratory to industrial application.”
Jörg Spitzner, CEO of DACMA GmbH, added:
“Today’s groundbreaking ceremony marks the beginning of a new era: Here, we are developing technologies that can be used worldwide to remove CO₂ from the atmosphere.”
Significance of the DACMA Competence Center
The new test center will:
- improve technical components,
- make operating processes more efficient,
- advance new research topics with international universities and research institutions.
In addition, the site will serve as a test center for extensive trials of Generation 2 DAC technology before it is used in international projects – particularly in Canada for partner Deep Sky.
International dimension – cooperation with Deep Sky
Deep Sky plans to build commercial plants in Canada targeting a million tonnes of CO₂ removal per year. One of the underlying technologies will be provided by DACMA GmbH from Hamburg. This cooperation is a strong signal for international climate policy and expands the strategic energy and hydrogen partnership between Germany and Canada to include carbon dioxide removal (CDR).
PEGASUS project – First project of the Competence Center
The first major project of the Competence Center is PEGASUS, a cooperation between DACMA GmbH, Lother GmbH, and TUHH. The aim is to commercialize DAC technologies and integrate them into port infrastructure. PEGASUS is developing an integrated system for the climate-neutral production of methanol based on atmospheric CO₂ and green hydrogen – a central building block for a climate-friendly energy and chemical industry.
Stakeholders and partners involved
- DACMA GmbH
- eFuel DAC GmbH and eFuel GmbH
- Evos Hamburg GmbH
- Hamburg Port Authority (HPA)
- TUHH – Hamburg University of Technology
- Lother GmbH
- Canadian Embassy
The DACMA Competence Center in Hamburg is creating a place where responsibility shapes the future. It sends a signal to everyone that technology and cooperation can preserve our environment and create a world worth living in for future generations.
“In just one year, DACMA GmbH have achieved an exponential progress in the atmospheric carbon capture journey. The strategic alliance with Repsol (both in Venturing Capital and projects) will boost the pace of this highly focused group of outstanding engineers that are persistently looking for every angle of the technology improvement. Take the time to celebrate, acknowledge your success and keep going!!!”
“One of the most relevant projects related to the development of technologies with a negative CO2 effect, the ONLY project in Brazil on Direct Air Capture multi-country Spain, Brazil Germany in Open Innovation. Repsol Sinopec Brazil Corporation, Start Up DACMA and PUC Rio Grande do Sul University. A disruptive commitment to a more decarbonized world. Being part of this project is a privilege and a unique opportunity to add value to society.”
“In collaboration with Phoenix Contact, DACMA has developed an application that contributes to CO2 decarbonization. This technology makes a significant contribution to sector coupling in the All Electric Society and to the sustainable use of energy. I am delighted that two technology-driven companies are working together so efficiently.”
“The DACMA GmbH with Jörg Spitzner and his team are not only valuable partners in our network, but also key initiators and innovators who, with DACMA, are driving forward DAC system engineering in the Hamburg metropolitan region – an essential future climate change mitigation technology.”
“Together with our partner DACMA GmbH, we are delighted to be building the first DAC machine on the HAMBURG BLUE HUB site in the Port of Hamburg. The 30-60 tons output of CO2 annually of the DACMA machine can later be used to produce e-methanol for the Port of Hamburg, for example. This is a joint milestone, as it fits in with the plan to purchase large volumes of synthetic fuels from Power-to-X plants in Africa and South America for Germany through the HAMBURG BLUE HUB”.
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