Carbon Capture 2 Korea: Accelerating CCU Innovation

Challenge

Denmark has strong research and innovation environments within Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU), but significant barriers remain when it comes to bringing green technologies from development to international commercialization. Many solutions are developed and matured at national and European level, while the path to new export markets is often long and complex.

C2K addresses this challenge by exploring how Danish CCU strengths can be brought to an international market, with South Korea as the first target country. South Korea is a relevant focus market because it combines strong industrial capabilities with ambitious climate targets and a growing need for solutions that can reduce emissions in energy-intensive sectors.

The project will therefore help bridge the gap between existing Danish and European CCU activities and a concrete international market. The ambition is to create a stronger foundation for Danish companies and innovation actors to scale their solutions globally and accelerate the commercialization of green technologies with real climate impact.

Solution

C2K brings together Danish cluster and innovation actors with South Korean industry and research environments to accelerate the development and deployment of CCU technologies. The project builds on Danish experience and results from initiatives such as CO2Vision and is designed to lift these activities from national and European level into an international collaboration framework.

Through market scoping, fact-finding and analysis, the project will assess how Danish CCU technologies, methodologies and partnership models can be applied in South Korea. The focus will be on identifying relevant sectors, policy and infrastructure conditions, and potential stakeholders that can help test and validate the approach in an international setting.

At the same time, the project will address the barriers that often slow down the commercialization of green technologies. The partners will work to understand market needs at an early stage and build the relationships and insights needed to pave the way for future pilot and demonstration projects. Sectors such as port infrastructure and green shipping are particularly relevant, as Denmark and South Korea share strategic interests and industrial strengths in these areas.

Impact

C2K will lay the foundation for international scaling of Danish CCU activities and strengthen the opportunities for Danish solutions to enter new markets. By the end of the project, at least three potential collaborations are expected to be identified between Danish CCU stakeholders and South Korean industry or research institutions.

The project will also identify concrete opportunities for integrating CCU technologies into relevant South Korean industries and establish the basis for at least two potential partnerships between Danish technology providers and South Korean stakeholders, including within shipbuilding and port infrastructure. These collaborations will explore pilot opportunities focused on decarbonization and the integration of CCU technologies to reduce industrial emissions.

In addition, the project will produce a market analysis and a feasibility study covering the South Korean market for CCU, including policy, infrastructure and business collaboration opportunities. The study is expected to identify three relevant CCU technologies and 5-6 key South Korean stakeholders for future collaboration. Overall, C2K aims to make it easier to translate Danish CCU strengths into international business opportunities and contribute to the global green transition.