State provides $500,000 to Spiritus Technologies for operational expansion

Sustainable carbon removal company Spiritus Technologies will receive $500,000 in state funding to further grow its operations in Nambé Pueblo.

“Because of the opportunity Nambé Pueblo has afforded us, we have been able to meet our technical milestones,” Spiritus Program Manager Susie Kritter said in a statement. “Additionally, the support and business contacts made through (New Mexico Economic Development Department) have been instrumental in the forward trajectory of our company.”

The Local Economic Development Act funds, distributed as Spiritus meets required construction and hiring benchmarks, will be used for infrastructure improvements and lease abatement to support prototype scale-up, according to a state news release.

Kritter told the Journal that the scale-up will be that of its Carbon Orchards. The Carbon Orchards feature artificial fruits that sit in the open air, collecting CO2. Spiritus then takes those fruits, shaped like spheres, for sequestration. .

“New Mexico is a national climate leader, and this collaboration hits home with many of our top goals as an agency,” EDD Secretary Rob Black said in a statement. “Not only does it support clean and sustainable energy, it also promotes science and technology, and prioritizes partnerships with our Native communities.”

The company, which also has a presence in White Rock, New Mexico, signed a six-year lease with Nambé Pueblo for a 10,000-square-foot space, which previously operated as a water bottling facility. Nambé Pueblo Development Corp. is the fiscal agent for the agreement. The state has also awarded the company job training incentives and nearly a million in grants.

“There is great potential here, and we look forward to seeing lasting benefits to our community and the region,” Pueblo of Nambé Gov. Nathaniel S. Porter said in a statement.