Capture and storage of CO2 (CCS) must increase in scale and decrease in price – that is the ambition of the Danish government’s new CCS plan, which was launched on 21 August 2023 by three ministers.
Danske Rederier (Danish Shipping) welcomes the move and says it shares the government’s ambitions in this area. If CCS is to become the necessary part of Denmark’s climate action, which the government is planning for, and Denmark is to simultaneously become a CO₂ hub in Denmark, then the effort must be stepped up.
Denmark’s Climate, Energy and Supply Minister Lars Aagaard said: “The fight against climate change in Denmark, Europe and the rest of the world requires us to invest in many areas – and CO₂ capture and storage is one of the supporting beams when we have to build all the way to the climate goals. Therefore, we are also moving the requirement for full capture from 2030 to 2029, so that we get more CO2 from the air and into the underground faster. The plan must also ensure a clearer framework for the burgeoning industry and in this way bring the Danish CCS industry up in scale and down in price. It may well be that it’s geeky, but it’s in the geekery that things happen.”
Danske Rederier has long pushed for a plan that can help scale CCS in Denmark and make Denmark a CO₂ hub in Europe.
Deputy MD Danske Rederier Jacob K Clasen said: “We will not reach our ambitious climate goals without CCS. It is one of the many pieces of the puzzle that must come into play, so it is therefore extremely important that the government now comes up with a plan and creates clarity for the various players across the value chain, both on land and at sea.”
Danske Rederier attaches particular importance to the fact that the government will work to enter into agreements with other countries, so that it is possible for Danish storage operators to bring foreign CO2 in their warehouses.
Clasen said: “With our underground in Denmark, we have a unique opportunity to become a European centre for the storage of CO₂. To be able to seize that opportunity, however, it is a prerequisite that agreements are put in place with our neighboring countries, so it is good to see that the government is on the ball here.”
Danske Rederier has several members with interests in CCS. Total Energies and INEOS are ready to store CO2 underground, and several shipping companies are aiming to invest in ships that will be able to transport CO₂.
Clasen concluded: “The shipping companies are faced with some huge investments in the ships that can sail with CO₂. They are ready for that, but it requires clarity about the framework conditions and a certainty that there is a market on the day the ships are ready to be launched. In particular, the work to determine the transport of CO₂ across national borders is important, so we look forward to contributing to that.”
