Denmark inaugurates world’s first cross-border CO2 storage site

(EurActiv, 9 Mar 2023) The opening marks an important moment for the EU’s green transition and industrial competitiveness, according to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who spoke at the inauguration on Wednesday (8 March).

Project Greensand is the first venture to achieve cross-border carbon capture and storage (CCS), by shipping CO2 from Belgium and injecting it into a depleted oil field under the Danish North Sea.

With the first injection taking place on Wednesday, the project aims to safely and permanently store up to eight million tonnes of CO2 every year by 2030, the equivalent of 40% of Denmark’s emission reduction target and over 10% of the country’s annual emissions.

“This is what Europe’s competitive sustainability is all about,” von der Leyen said in a video address at the inaugural event in Denmark.

“You are showing that it can be done – that we can grow our industry through innovation and competition and, at the same time, remove carbon emissions from the atmosphere through ingenuity and cooperation,” she added.

The project marks a breakthrough in carbon capture, taking CO2 from one country and injecting it into another, said Brian Gilvary from INEOS energy, one of 23 organisations that run Project Greensand alongside other businesses, academia, governments and start-ups.

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EurActiv, 9 Mar 2023: Denmark inaugurates world’s first cross-border CO2 storage site