Landmark CCS project injects carbon dioxide 1800 metres under North Sea

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen calls project “the first ever full value chain for carbon capture and storage in Europe”

A consortium of energy companies and academics are claiming a world first after successfully capturing_, transporting and then injecting CO₂ into storage 1800 metres below the seabed of the Danish North Sea.

The carbon dioxide was captured at an INEOS Oxide plant in Belgium and has been stored in the in the depleted INEOS-operated Nini oil field.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: “This is a big moment for Europe’s green transition, and for our clean tech industry – the first ever full value chain for carbon capture and storage in Europe.

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“You are showing that it can be done. That we can grow our industry through innovation and competition, and at the same time, remove carbon emissions from the atmosphere, through ingenuity and cooperation. This is what Europe’s competitive sustainability is all about.”

She said the project was proof that "the North Sea is increasingly playing a crucial role in Europe's net zero future".

The initiative is called Project Greensand, a consortium of 23 organisations led by INEOS and energy firm Wintershall Dea, and is intended to demonstrate the feasibility of subsea storage of CO₂.

It is supported by the Danish state through the Energy Technology Development and Demonstration Program. CCS is considered a key technology in reaching the Danish 2045 net zero target.

The successful storage was marked by a Danish ceremony in Esbjerg attended by Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark.

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By 2030, Project Greensand aims to store up to eight million tonnes of CO₂ per year in the Nini field area.

The European Commission estimates that the EU will need to store up to 300 million tonnes of CO₂ per year by 2050 to meet its climate goals.

Denmark’s Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities, Lars Aagaard, said: “The Danish subsoil can store a lot more carbon than we ever will capture in Denmark.

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“Therefore, I am extremely pleased that the whole perspective on the Danish subsoil from day one is based on an industrial thinking where these resources should be brought to the market and help other countries meet their climate target on a commercial basis.”

Hugo Dijkgraaf, Chief Technology Officer at Wintershall Dea, said Project Greensand “proves that carbon capture and storage is a viable way to permanently store CO₂ emissions under the North Sea. It has a crucial role to play in reaching net zero in Denmark, Europe and beyond.”

Other members of the consortium include the National Oceanography Centre, AKER Carbon Capture and Ramboll.

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