The capture of CO2 for permanent storage or use with a climate benefit is recognised by the European Commission as indispensable to the achievement of net-zero emissions by 2050. Its 2024 Communication on Industrial Carbon Management highlights modelling that suggests 280 million tonnes of CO2 will need to be captured annually within the Union by 2040.
However, carbon capture requires the development of an entire value chain, given that it needs to be transported and eventually stored. This means developing a transport network that matches our need for carbon capture and storage and that takes into account the varying needs of all emitting sites, both large and small, remote and in clusters.
This is absolutely critical for the EU to reach Net-Zero by 2050, and yet progress has been slow, due to uncertainty over demand, lack of an EU-wide approach to market-design, encompassing clear policy and regulatory framework, as well as a lack of an associated funding pathway. Therefore, CCS Europe calls on the European Commission and national governments to take the necessary measures to unlock the EU’s potential for CO2 transport infrastructure.
Download our full set of measures below.