Clo Carbon Cymru designs alternative approach to Welsh SFS

Clo Carbon Cymru has introduced an alternative approach to the Welsh government’s upcoming Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS), designed around a Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) trading platform that values carbon dioxide at £175/t.

The company says this valuation significantly exceeds the typical £10-£40/t offered by conventional soil carbon and tree-planting “offsetting” companies.

Cai Matthews, director of Clo Carbon Cymru, says the higher valuation is aligned with international trading platforms like Puro Earth in Finland, where CDR certificates are sold at similar prices.

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It aims to provide a more equitable market value for the carbon removal efforts of farmers.

The primary method for carbon sequestration proposed by Clo Carbon Cymru involves the production of biochar, a process that can lock away biogenic carbon for up to 1,000 years.

This initiative seeks to maximise the potential role of UK farmers in combating climate change by sequestering carbon dioxide, while ensuring they receive fair compensation for their contributions.

“Farmers across the UK can play a pivotal role in removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in the coming decades, it’s imperative that they are able to achieve a fair market value for their effort,” said Mr Matthews.

Microsoft commitment

Supporting this vision, Microsoft has committed to becoming carbon negative by 2030 and aims to remove all historical carbon emissions by 2050.

Part of this effort includes significant investments in biochar-based CDR, with more than 100,000 tonnes already purchased.

Microsoft’s strategies include developing agroforestry systems to produce biomass for biochar conversion, promoting deep soil carbon sequestration, and reducing emissions from manure and slurry management.

In addition, Microsoft has developed the Thermal Aerobic Carbon Production (TACP) process, which generates thermal energy that can be used for heating farm buildings or polytunnels, facilitating year-round food production.

Farmers and landowners interested in this initiative can find more information and register their interest on the Clo Carbon Cymru website, which will be updated soon, at clocarbon.cymru.