The Crown Prince Inaugurates Historic Innovation Project

The storage of captured CO2 in the subsurface, as pursued by the INEOS-led consortium behind Project Greensand, has, for the first time in the world, demonstrated that CO2 can be transported across borders and stored offshore.

His Royal Highness The Crown Prince, Minister of Climate, Energy, and Utilities Lars Aagaard, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and many other dignitaries were present when the innovation project Greensand was officially launched on March 8th of this year.

Project Greensand, supported by the EUDP – Energy Technology Development and Demonstration Programme and facilitated by Energy Cluster Denmark, marks a crucial milestone in the Danish part of the North Sea.

“Fifty years ago, my father, Prince Henrik, marked the beginning of what became a Danish oil and gas adventure in the North Sea. Today, we are opening a new chapter. A green chapter. The Danish subsurface holds great potential for storing CO2, and it gives me great joy today to reverse the flow in the pipes and send CO2 back into the Danish subsurface for the benefit of the climate, Denmark, Europe, and our planet,” said The Crown Prince from the stage at First Carbon Storage, as the event in Esbjerg was called.

A significant moment

The IPCC has repeatedly stated that carbon capture and storage (CCS) are essential to achieving climate goals. The European Commission also considers CCS a crucial element on the path to a carbon-neutral Europe. The Commission estimates that by 2050, up to 300 million tons of CO2 must be stored annually if the EU is to meet its neutrality ambitions.

Carbon capture and storage are also central to Denmark’s climate ambitions. Project Greensand aims to store up to 1.5 million tons of CO2 per year in the Danish part of the North Sea by 2025/2026, and by 2030, it is expected that up to 8 million tons of CO2 per year could potentially be stored in the Siri area of the North Sea.

“The Danish subsurface can store much more CO2 than we will ever capture in Denmark. Therefore, I am very pleased that the entire perspective on the Danish subsurface from day one is based on an industrial mindset, where these resources will be brought to the market and help other countries achieve their climate goals on a commercial basis,” said Minister of Climate, Energy, and Utilities Lars Aagaard.

Denmark becomes a frontrunner in CO2 storage

With the official storage of the first CO2 in Denmark, Project Greensand demonstrates how an international infrastructure can be created to unlock the potential for carbon capture and storage. Thus, Denmark can play a central role in the future market for carbon capture, transport, and storage in the subsurface.

“With First Carbon Storage, we underline that CO2 captured in one European country can be safely stored in another. The next step is to accelerate carbon capture and transport throughout Europe so that we can unlock the full potential of CCS for the benefit of the climate and Denmark,” says Mads Gade, CEO of INEOS Denmark, one of the project’s many partners.

“This is a significant moment for Europe’s green transition and for our cleantech industry. The first complete value chain for carbon capture and storage in Europe. You show that it can be done”, says Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission

Facts:

The goal of the innovation project Project Greensand is to store CO2 and establish a value chain for transport and geological CO2 storage offshore in Denmark by the end of 2025.

The partner circle in Project Greensand consists of:

• INEOS Energy
• INEOS OXIDE LIMITED
• Blue Water Shipping
• SpotLight Earth
• DTU – Technical University of Denmark
• Wintershall Dea
• Welltec
• Semco Maritime
• Noble Corporation
• GEUS
• Geelmuyden Kiese
• Ramboll
• Aker Carbon Capture
• Resen Waves
• Magseis Fairfield ASA
• ESVAGT A/S
• Danish Technological Institute
• Wind Power LAB
• DHI
• Dan-Unity CO2
• University of Southampton
• National Oceanography Centre
• Energy Cluster Denmark.

Project Greensand has a total project budget of DKK 455 million.

The project is supported by the EUDP – Energy Technology Development and Demonstration Programme with DKK 197 million.