Swedish marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) operator Arbon Earth has secured Indonesia's first permit for seaweed-based deep-sea carbon capture operations, the Gothenburg-based company announced. The regulatory approval clears the way for the climate tech firm to build its second national program alongside its existing production site in Kenya.

The permit covers Arbon Earth's core removal pathway: cultivating seaweed that absorbs atmospheric CO2 during growth, then sinking the biomass to the deep ocean floor for long-term storage. Indonesia's archipelagic waters give the company access to suitable deep-sea deployment zones close to cultivation areas, a logistics advantage that land-based or coastal-only CDR operators lack.

From single site to global network

Arbon Earth currently runs one active seaweed production site in Kenya. The Indonesian permit converts a two-country footprint from concept to execution, and the company says testing will begin shortly at a new site off the coast of Lombok Island. Negotiations with authorities in additional regions are already underway, according to the company, though no further jurisdictions or timelines have been named publicly.

CEO Nanna Stranne framed the permit as a capacity constraint released rather than a symbolic win. "This permit enables a significantly higher production rate for us, allowing us to meet larger CO2 removal purchases from our customers," Stranne said. "At Arbon Earth, we are convinced that the ocean will be a crucial part of the solution to the climate crisis."

That framing points to the commercial mechanics behind the announcement: CDR buyers purchase verified tonnes of removal, and production capacity — not demand — has been the binding limit on Arbon Earth's ability to sign larger offtake agreements. A second permitted jurisdiction widens the pipeline.

Regulator as partner

The permit was issued with the involvement of Indonesia's Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP), which is positioned as more than a passive licensing authority. Arbon Earth says it is collaborating with the ministry on a gradual scale-up of operations, aligned with environmental integrity guidelines.

Muhammad Husnul Aini, PIC KKPRL at the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, endorsed the partnership in explicitly economic terms. "We welcome Arbon Earth's innovative approach to ocean-based carbon removal," Aini said. "This collaboration aligns with our national commitment to climate action, sustainable marine management, and pioneering new blue economy initiatives in Indonesia."

For Indonesia, the deal fits a blue economy agenda that treats marine resources as an industrial growth sector. For Arbon Earth, a ministry-endorsed pathway reduces the regulatory risk that has slowed mCDR deployment elsewhere.

"Scaling ocean-based carbon dioxide removal requires both innovative science and regulatory support," the company stated in a publication accompanying the announcement. "Receiving this permit is a key milestone that enables us to take our operations to the next level."

Permits as the sector's gating asset

The announcement lands amid a broader pattern: mCDR developers are treating first-of-kind permits as the sector's scarcest asset. In the United States, Ebb Carbon recently secured the first NPDES permit for its Macoma mCDR project, and the EPA has issued only a second-ever marine carbon removal pilot permit, in Louisiana. Arbon Earth's Indonesian authorization mirrors that dynamic in a different regulatory system — the companies that clear permitting hurdles first define the scale ceiling for ocean-based removal markets.

Arbon Earth has not disclosed permitted tonnage, cultivation area, or a commercial operations start date for the Lombok site. Those numbers will determine whether the permit translates into bankable removal volumes.

The milestones to watch: results from the Lombok test site, the outcome of Arbon Earth's negotiations for additional jurisdictions, and the pace at which KKP phases the Indonesian scale-up. Each will decide whether the Kenya-plus-Indonesia footprint becomes the global project network the company has promised.