Today marks a defining moment for Denmark’s climate efforts, as the country’s first full-scale CO2 storage facility was approved by the Danish Energy Agency. The Greensand Future project aims to store up to 2.4 million tonnes of CO₂ over a 30-year period. This is one of Denmark’s next steps in the green transition.

Once operational by mid-2026, the Greensand Future project will be the first of its kind in Denmark and the European Union, marking a significant step in advancing carbon capture and storage technologies in the region. It is located at the Nini West field in the North Sea about 240 kilometers northwest of Esbjerg.

The project is a joint effort led by INEOS E&P, Harbour Energy, and Nordsøfonden, and it reuses infrastructure from a former oil and gas field. The Nini West field, now transformed into a CO₂ storage site, will serve as an essential part of Denmark’s strategy to achieve its climate goals.

“It is a significant milestone that we now have the first CO₂ storage facility here at home. Storage is a crucial part of the carbon capture and storage value chain. We only benefit the climate when the CO₂ is stored and removed from the atmosphere. Therefore, the approval of the first CO₂ storage facility in Denmark is a very important step towards establishing a market for carbon capture and storage and creating the conditions to reap the substantial climate benefits that carbon capture and storage can contribute to.” Peter Christian Baggesgaard Hansen, Deputy Director General at the Danish Energy Agency

This approval builds upon the successful pilot project of Project Greensand, which in 2023 injected CO₂ for the first time into the Danish sector of the North Sea, demonstrating the potential of storing CO₂.

The project is part of a broader European effort to address climate change, with the EU aiming to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. The successful operation of this storage facility will be a vital contribution to achieving the EU’s climate targets and establishing a viable market for carbon capture and storage solutions.