We are delighted to announce that Lapwing Energy’s Phase 2 report for Reverse Coal has now been publicly released under the UK Government’s Direct Air Capture and Greenhouse Gas Removal Innovation Programme.  This milestone marks the culmination of over five years of research, design, trials, and collaboration—bringing us one step closer to scaling a new model of nature-based carbon removal in the UK.

From the outset, Reverse Coal has aimed not just to bury carbon, but to reimagine how degraded peatlands can be transformed into a regenerative system combining sustainable biomass growth, renewable energy, food production and carbon storage. Over these five years, the project has navigated the technical complexity of integrating biomass, pyrolysis, biochar storage, and monitoring systems. The Phase 2 report captures the learnings from design, construction, and early commissioning, and offers transparent insight into the challenges we encountered—and how we overcame them.

Publishing this report is more than a reporting obligation: it’s a commitment to openness and peer learning. We hope that the data, methodologies, and reflections in the Phase 2 deliverable will support other innovators in the carbon removal space, drive improvements in MRV standards, and catalyse effective investment and adoption. With policy momentum growing around greenhouse gas removals, we believe Reverse Coal’s real-world prototype will help bridge the gap between visionary carbon removal and deployable, scalable solutions.

Looking ahead, our focus turns to extended operation, full commissioning, and working with industry partners to validate commercial pathways. But for today, we’re proud to have laid a transparent, documented foundation. 

You can access the full report and related appendices here: Reverse Coal Phase 2 Report