Introduction
On 27 and 28 October 2022, the European Commission and the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy hosted the CCUS Forum in Oslo. The forum featured representatives from the EU Commission, local and international politicians, and industry actors. Highlights included powerful opening statements by the EU Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson and the Norwegian Minster of Petroleum and Energy Terje Aasland, both acknowledging the urgent need for rapid CCUS deployment. Aker Carbon Capture had the pleasure of attending both days and engaged in important policy and regulatory framework discussions on the whole CCUS value chain. Curious to learn more about the key takeaways? Keep reading to learn more!
News and reflections
Kristin Myskja from the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy highlighted that full scale CCS will be in operation in less than 2 years in Norway with the Longship project benefitting from financial and political support. Further projects are also being developed and will altogether contribute to significantly increasing European CO2 storage capacity in the North Sea. The successful deployment of CCS in Norway will demonstrate to the whole continent how these technologies enable, through sustainable solutions, preservation and creation of jobs and industries, as described by Minister Aasland.
All issues of critical importance in the value chain were highlighted and discussed at the CCUS Forum. Funding, amongst other topics, was underlined by Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson. “The scarcity of funding means that no matter what good ideas are in place, without the right capital, they won’t get off the ground” she noted, before highlighting that the European Union will need to capture, use and store 300 to 640 megatons of CO2 yearly by 2050.
Access to information is also a significant aspect of strong collaboration, hence flagship storage projects such as Porthos, have published all CO2 specifications online.
Another Dutch project at the Forum was Aramis. That project has already concluded agreements with nine emitters, totaling 5 megatons of CO2, which is enough captured carbon to cover all the available capacity in the first phase of the project. This is an example of how CO2 storage is the bottleneck for many stakeholders – several attendants and speakers at the Forum have highlighted that fact. Daniel Kitscha, from the European Commission Directorate for Climate Action, stressed that currently accepted projects are due to capture 4.6 megatons of CO2, which we need storage for.
For many industries, “CCS is the cheapest way to decarbonize” highlighted Klaus Langemann from Wintershall Dea. “We won’t have any decarbonization strategy without CCUS,” added Rodolphe Nicolle of the European Lime Association, highlighting the importance of CCUS for hard-to-abate industries.
Main takeaways
It is clear CCUS has come a long way since last year’s iteration, and momentum is likely to increase based on the following takeaways:
- EU Level Strategy for CCUS
- Clear capture targets needed
- Storage drives capture
- Facilitate cross-border CO2 transport through London Protocol ratification
- No CCUS, no Green Deal
Conclusion
Commissioner Simson summarized the current state of CCUS well: “You have been setting the trend. This year the number of CCS projects globally increased for the fifth year in a row. The momentum is there. Now is the time to set the right conditions in place for CCUS to thrive in Europe.”
And this is exactly what Aker Carbon Capture is doing today at Norcem in Brevik, Norway and in Twence, the Netherlands. Online already in 2023 and 2024 respectively. Ultimately, delivering projects are going to make the difference, and Aker Carbon Capture is ready to carry the momentum forward towards the large-scale commercial deployment of CCUS in order to reach the climate goals set by the Paris Agreement and the European Green Deal.
This is the second time the European Commission organized this high-level forum to engage and facilitate discussion on carbon capture, utilization and storage. Last year the Forum took place online on the 11th of October 2021, and gathered relevant stakeholders, representatives of the EU institutions and EU countries who discussed how to facilitate deployment of CCUS technologies. Part of the event emphasized the aim of EU Commission-initiated working groups which gave input on a CCUS Vision Paper due to be published in the near future and will serve as an important guiding document for the EU Commission.
Policy Advisor at Aker Carbon Capture
