Denmark’s first CO2 storage facility ready for large-scale operations

Denmark has completed its first CO2 storage facility, located beneath the North Sea, marking a significant step in the fight against climate change. The facility is now capable of safely storing substantial amounts of CO2, permanently locking it away in the subsoil to reduce emissions. This achievement is the result of Project Greensand, which has spent years developing and testing this CO2 storage system.

The final report from the pilot phase of Project Greensand has now been submitted by the consortium of 23 partners involved in the project. Supported by the Danish Energy Technology Development and Demonstration Program (EUDP), the pilot aimed to prove that CO2 can be safely and efficiently stored in the North Sea’s subsurface. Independent verification from DNV, a global leader in risk and standardization services, confirmed that the CO2 is securely stored in the Nini West reservoir, 1,800 meters beneath the seabed.

“This documentation proves that we have a safe, functional CO2 storage system in the North Sea,” said Mads Gade, Country Manager at INEOS Denmark and Commercial Director at INEOS Energy, the lead partner in Project Greensand. “The stored CO2 is behaving as expected, giving us the confidence to move forward with the next critical steps for carbon capture and storage (CCS) in Denmark.”

Project Greensand is the first initiative in the world to successfully transport CO2 across borders and store it offshore, a breakthrough celebrated in March 2023. Denmark’s achievement was marked by a ceremonial event where His Majesty King Frederik signaled the first CO2 storage. The project has drawn praise from key figures, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Denmark’s Climate Minister, Lars Aagaard.

Gade highlighted the importance of this milestone: “We are proud to be the first to develop, test, and demonstrate a fully functioning value chain for capturing, transporting, and storing CO2. This is a crucial step toward achieving Denmark’s and the EU’s climate goals, and every partner in the project has played an outstanding role in its success.”

The pilot project has provided valuable insights to numerous Danish and international companies, positioning them for future roles in the burgeoning CCS market in Europe.

With the pilot phase complete, Project Greensand is poised to scale up carbon capture and storage in Denmark. INEOS, along with license partners Harbour Energy and Nordsøfonden, has already applied for approval to develop Denmark’s first large-scale CO2 storage facility. The goal is to begin storing CO2 in the North Sea by late 2025 or early 2026, with an initial target of 400,000 tonnes of CO2 per year, scaling up to 8 million tonnes annually by 2030.

Additionally, work is underway to explore the feasibility of onshore CO2 storage in Denmark. Earlier this year, INEOS and its partners received an exploration license for an area in Jutland’s Gassum reservoir, where the experience gained from Project Greensand will be applied to ensure safe land-based storage.

Gade emphasized Denmark’s leadership role in CCS: “We have shown that Denmark is at the forefront of CO2 storage technology. Now, we are focusing on how to expand this momentum. If Denmark captures just 5% of Europe’s future CCS market, it could create 9,000 jobs and generate up to DKK 50 billion in economic potential. At the same time, we can help the EU meet its climate targets by creating a new industry that offers solutions to the global climate crisis.”

With regulatory approval pending, Project Greensand is set to become a key player in the European CCS landscape, ensuring Denmark’s continued leadership in the sector.