IN LONDON: The European Union (EU) is progressing the development of carbon dioxide (CO2) storage sites.
The target of 50 million tonnes of annual injection capacity in EU geological CO2 storage sites by 2030, set by the EU in 2024, will support carbon capture and storage projects, as well as cut industrial emissions and increase the availability of CO2 storage sites in Europe.
Reducing overall CO2 emissions from large industrial sources is generally referred to as carbon capture and storage (CCS). CCS involves capturing CO2 at emissions prices, transporting and then storing or buying it in a suitable deep underground location.
It can also refer to the removal of CO2 directly or indirectly from the atmosphere.
In the EU, three storage sites at Porthos, Greensand, and Prinos already have a permit.
The Greensand site, located in the Danish North Sea, will inject its first CO2 as early as next month. The Prinos site in the Aegean Sea is expected to become operational between 2026 and 2027, while the Porthos site, located near Rotterdam, is anticipated to operate next year.
At least another seven sites are expected to come online in the coming years, with a total injection capacity of 19 million tonnes of CO2 annually, as reported by the European Commission.
Europe’s CO2 storage industry
Commissioner for climate, net zero, and clean growth Wopke Hoekstra says the CO2 storage industry is growing rapidly in the EU.
“More than 19 million tonnes in annual injection capacity will be available to our heavy industry in the next years,” Hoekstra says.
“This new infrastructure will support investments in carbon capture across all member states.”
EU member states report that a lot of industrial plants will be relying on CO2 storage sites in the coming years. Innovation Fund projects alone are forecast to capture more than 25 million tonnes of CO2 per year for permanent storage.
According to the commission, almost 100 CO2 capture projects applied for the Innovation Fund in the period 2020-25, requiring more than 70 million tonnes in annual CO2 injection capacity.
In the last quarter of 2025, the EU’s economy’s seasonally adjusted greenhouse gas emissions were estimated at 839 million tonnes of CO2-equivalent — representing a 0.9% increase compared with the third quarter of 2025.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: European Commission
