Understanding CCS

What is Carbon Capture & Storage and why do we need it?

Carbon Capture & Storage

An essential tool for net zero

Carbon capture and storage involves the processes of capturing carbon dioxide - typically from industrial processes or from burning fossil fuels – and transporting and storing it permanently deep underground in geological formations such as depleted oil and reservoirs.

The technology behind CCS is well-proven and has been around for more than 40 years. It has traditionally been used for enhanced oil recovery (EOR).

Now, CCS is counted as one of the most effective ways to decarbonise, making it a vital technology on the road to global net zero. According to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), as the world transitions to a lower-carbon economy, global temperature changes cannot be kept at bay without capturing and storing CO2.

Starting in 2040, the European Commission estimates that 250 million tonnes of CO₂ will need to be captured and stored annually to meet the EU’s climate goals. We are still far from the target. Scaling the industry will require action by governments, investors, and industrial actors.

Momentum around CCS is growing and Greensand is helping accelerate change.

Access these sources to learn more about CCS:

Greensand Value Chain

Capture

The CO2 is captured at large point sources separated from the smoke and liquified. Then it is loaded into a tank container, specifically designed for safe transportation of liquified CO2.

CO2 Terminal Port Esbjerg

CO2 Terminal Port Esbjerg: At CO2 Terminal Port Esbjerg the liquified CO2 is loaded into one of the six tanks for temporary storage. CO2 Terminal Port Esbjerg has a capacity of 6.000 tonnes and can handle 60 to 72 trucks per day.

Transport

Once the tanks are full, the liquified CO2 is transferred to the dedicated CO2 carrier. The carrier has a capacity of approx. 5.000 tonnes of liquified CO2 and complete the voyage from Port Esbjerg to the Greensand reservoir and back in approx. three days.

Offshore storage

At the Greensand reservoir the CO2 carrier sends the liquified CO2 through the offshore infrastructure – all the way through the subsoil to the Greensand reservoir 1.800 meters below the seabed for safe and permanent storage.

Capture

The CO2 is captured at large point sources separated from the smoke and liquified. Then it is loaded into a tank container, specifically designed for safe transportation of liquified CO2.

CO2 Terminal Port Esbjerg

CO2 Terminal Port Esbjerg: At CO2 Terminal Port Esbjerg the liquified CO2 is loaded into one of the six tanks for temporary storage. CO2 Terminal Port Esbjerg has a capacity of 6.000 tonnes and can handle 60 to 72 trucks per day.

Transport

Once the tanks are full, the liquified CO2 is transferred to the dedicated CO2 carrier. The carrier has a capacity of approx. 5.000 tonnes of liquified CO2 and complete the voyage from Port Esbjerg to the Greensand reservoir and back in approx. three days.

Offshore storage

At the Greensand reservoir the CO2 carrier sends the liquified CO2 through the offshore infrastructure – all the way through the subsoil to the Greensand reservoir 1.800 meters below the seabed for safe and permanent storage.

FAQ

Carbon capture and storage involves the processes of capturing carbon dioxide - typically from industrial processes or from burning fossil fuels – and transporting and storing it permanently deep underground in geological formations such as depleted oil and reservoirs.

CCS is counted as one of the most effective ways to decarbonise, making it a vital technology on the road to global net zero. According to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), as the world transitions to a lower-carbon economy, global temperature changes cannot be kept at bay without capturing and storing CO2.

The technology behind CCS is well-proven and has been around for more than 40 years. It has traditionally been used for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). Studies have shown that CO2 can be safely stored underground in geological formations for thousands and even millions of years.  

 Greensand will be storing CO2 in a suited geological reservoir in the North Sea. The collected Greensand storage facilities in the North Sea (the Siri fairway) are extremely stable reservoirs from a geological perspective. They have retained gas and oil for more than 10 million years, making them a very safe permanent storage site for CO2. The integrity of the reservoir has been tested by the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), and Greensand has received safety approval from DNV-GL. 

 

We need to store as much CO2 as we can – as fast as we can. Right now, biogas production offers high volumes of CO2 that can be more easily captured compared to industrial fossil emission sources. While capture facilities at these sources mature into the needed scale, there is, in Europe alone, an estimated 21 mtpa biogenic CO2 from biogas plants that could be captured and stored rather than emitted. That is why we’re moving ahead now with an outlook to storing both biogenic and fossil CO2 as we develop the project. 

 

Storing CO2 in the subsurface can have an impact on the marine environment in the unlikely case of a leakage. However, the collected Greensand storage facilities in the North Sea (the Siri fairway) are extremely stable reservoirs from a geological perspective. They have retained gas and oil for more than 10 million years, making them a very safe permanent storage site for CO2. The integrity of the reservoir has been tested by the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), and Greensand has received safety approval from DNV-GL. 

It’s not an either-or – we need to do both. According to IPCC, the International Energy Agency and the EU, there is no way to reach net zero emissions without capturing and storing CO2. While industries around the world are transitioning to lower-carbon business models, capturing and storing CO2 will be necessary to abate the emissions that can’t be avoided based on current knowledge and solutions.  

 

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