NEW YORK, Jan. 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Chestnut Carbon ("Chestnut"), a nature-based carbon removal developer, today announced a new long-term offtake agreement to provide Microsoft with high-quality, nature-based carbon removal derived entirely from Chestnut's ARR project located in the Southern United States, including Arkansas, Texas, and Louisiana.

This agreement reflects one of the largest carbon removal projects in the U.S., inclusive of both nature-based and engineered solutions, and is in addition to the initial agreement executed between Chestnut and Microsoft in December 2023. This new carbon removal purchase agreement involves multiple phases with forward-starting 25-year terms that will result in more than 7 million tons of U.S.-based carbon removal credits delivered to Microsoft over the offtake term. The agreement is estimated to restore roughly 60,000 acres of land by planting over 35 million native, biodiverse hardwood and softwood trees.

"We're excited to be expanding our collaboration with Microsoft given their market leadership in net zero commitments and the signing of a second agreement within the span of a year reaffirms their view that Chestnut is delivering high quality removal credits," said Ben Dell, CEO of Chestnut and Managing Partner of Kimmeridge. "We're confident in our belief that nature-based afforestation solutions are the most attractive, scalable, and cost-effective means for removing carbon from the atmosphere today. We continue to bring high-quality credits to market for discerning customers and look forward to building on our leading position in the market."

The Chestnut Sustainable Restoration Project is distinguished among nature-based projects in the U.S. due to its focus on creating a long-lasting ecosystem of native forests at scale. With Microsoft's offtake from the project, Chestnut is on track to grow its ARR portfolio to 500,000 acres by 2030 and remove 100 million tons of CO2 from the atmosphere over a 50-year crediting period.

"This agreement with Chestnut Carbon is another positive step towards Microsoft's goal to become carbon negative by 2030. We look forward to the prospect of scaling forest restoration within the United States, attracting sophisticated private capital in the process. We are glad to see the Sustainable Restoration Project diversify the ecological impact of our global carbon removal portfolio," said Brian Marrs, Senior Director of Energy & Carbon Removal at Microsoft.

Key to Chestnut's Sustainable Restoration Project:

• High quality, removal-based credits: The project is registered with Gold Standard. Resulting credits are issued per carbon removal measurements, not emissions avoidance;

• Durability: Chestnut stands behind the durability of its carbon sequestration through long-term conservation of the land, planting biodiversity and risk mitigation practices;

• Additionality: The project restores marginal agricultural lands to native forests. These lands would not be restored in the absence of the global carbon credit market; and

• Environmental and stakeholder benefits: The project delivers improvements to native wildlife habitats and air and water quality; expands land use alternatives; and emphasizes ongoing community engagement and economic development.

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