The EU’s first full-scale CO2₂ storage site is now operational in Denmark.
The Greensand facility is led by INEOS Energy in partnership with Harbour Energy and the Danish North Sea Fund.
INEOS will source primarily from Danish biomethane plants. This means the full CCS value chain can be established and operated using CO2 volumes that are readily available, while capture projects across industry continue to develop and scale.
Once captured, CO2 is liquefied, delivered by truck to a dedicated CO2₂terminal at Port Esbjerg, shipped aboard Carbon Destroyer 1 – the EU’s first purpose-built CO2 carrier – and injected into the Nini West reservoir, a depleted oil field some 250km offshore, approximately 1,800 metres beneath the seabed.
Greensand expects to store up to 400,000 tonnes of CO2 annually in its first commercial phase, potentially scaling up to 4 to 8m tonnes at full capacity.
INEOS chairman Sir Jim Ratcliffe said: “Europe will not achieve net zero by closing factories and exporting jobs.
“Government needs to work hand in hand with industry to allow industry to remain competitive while reducing emissions.
“Greensand proves this can be done. So, Greensand works. The storage is ready. We are open for business.”
The question that follows is how quickly the EU establishes the regulatory, infrastructure and investment conditions that allow industrial emitters to capture CO2 at scale.
Mads Gade, CEO of INEOS Energy Europe, said: “Greensand starts with biogenic1 CO2, but its significance reaches far beyond that first step.
“We are ready to expand capacity to receive CO2 from industries across Europe. Greensand is open for business, and a new European market for permanent CO2 storage can now begin to take shape.”
Speaking at its launch, European Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jørgensen added: “Today marks an important milestone for Europe.
“With the launch, here in Esbjerg, of the first fully operational site for offshore carbon storage in the European Union, we prove that carbon storage is a practical reality.
“We show that we can move from demonstration to deployment. We set out a path for European industries: to continue their transition to a low-carbon future, while maintaining production, investments, and employment in our continent.
“And we open a new front in the existential fight against climate change.”
Danish Minister of Finance Peter Hummelgaard said: “Project Greensand is a concrete example of how green technology can strengthen both Europe’s climate action and our resilience.
“We are not merely opening a facility, we are opening a new chapter for our shared climate ambitions.”
