Status on CCS in Denmark

The presentation “Status on CCS in Denmark” will focus on the recent progress made in Denmark on CCS and provide insight into new initiatives underway.

The CCS technology enjoys ample political support in Denmark. Since 2020 a number of political agreements has been reached, introducing three subsidy funds for CCS as well as a range of legislative and regulatory changes that has enabled Denmark to work towards establishing a full-scale CCS value chain with the aim of reaching its climate targets.

It follows from the Danish CCS strategy that Denmark also strives to become a future European hub for CO₂ storage. In that context, Denmark has entered into collaboration agreements with Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, and Germany to promote CCS as a climate mitigation tool. Additionally, in 2022, Denmark signed an agreement with Belgium for the cross-border transportation of CO₂ with the purpose of geological storage beneath the seabed. This agreement was the first of its kind in an international context.

This year has been a particularly important year for CCS in Denmark. Recent developments include the awarding of the first full-scale offshore exploration licenses for CO₂ storage, the first injection of CO₂ in the Danish part of the North Sea has been completed in a pilot project, and the energy company, Ørsted, has secured a state-sponsored contract to establish the country's first full-scale CCS project. This initiative, valued at approximately 1.1 billion EUR, plans to commence CO₂ capture in 2025.

Moreover, a new tender for the NECCS (“Negative Emissions CCS”) subsidy fund was published in late August. The aim of the NECCS-fund is to achieve 0.5 million tons of negative CO₂ emissions per year, through BECCS and/or DACCS by granting financial support to one or more projects at any scale. Also in late August, a new political proposal was introduced, containing new CCS-initiatives. Finally, new tenders for exploration and storage licenses are planned in the future.