Northern European collaboration for CO2 transport and storage in place

A European infrastructure for carbon capture and storage is underway as Denmark, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Sweden have made agreements allowing for cross-border transport and geological storage of captured CO2.

Photo credit: Project Greensand

By State of Green | [email protected]

16 April 2024

By capturing emissions that are very difficult to prevent, Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is an essential climate tool and a necessary step in order to reach European climate goals.

In 2021, Norway and the Netherlands signed an arrangement on energy cooperation around the North Sea, including carbon capture and storage. Similar arrangements are in place between Norway and Belgium (2022) and Denmark (2023), as well as a joint declaration with Sweden in 2022. In addition, in 2022 and 2023 Denmark, Belgium (the Federal State, Flanders and Wallonia) as well as the Netherlands signed arrangements for the transport and storage of captured carbon across borders.

Yesterday, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands and Sweden each established an arrangement for cross-border transport of CO₂ with Norway. Sweden and Denmark concluded a similar arrangement, too. This removes some of the obstacles on the way to a well-functioning carbon capture and storage market in the wide North Sea region.

”In order to decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors, we need carbon capture and storage. In order to reach climate neutrality by 2050 in Europe, we need carbon capture and storage on a larger, international scale. [These] arrangements are two great steps in the right direction. It’s all hands on deck – and I’m glad to see both Norway and Sweden joining our work towards an international industry for carbon capture and storage,” Danish Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities Lars Aagaard.

The Danish underground holds great potential

The Danish subsurface is particularly suitable for storing CO2, which is not the case for all European countries. Specifically, the Danish subsurface has room for several hundred years of Danish emissions.

Denmark was the first country in the world to sign an agreement on CO2 transport with Belgium, and in recent years, Denmark has signed additional agreements with France and the Netherlands, enabling the transport and storage of CO2 across borders.

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