Belgium and UK sign CCS transport and storage deal under London Protocol

Belgium and the United Kingdom signed a memorandum of understanding on June 16, 2026, to enable cross-border transport and permanent storage of CO2. The agreement addresses a regulatory barrier under the London Protocol by permitting the import and export of CO2 for geological storage in the North Sea seabed. This is the first such deal the UK has signed with another country under that protocol. The CO2 can be moved by pipeline or ship, and the goal is to create a market for carbon capture, utilization, and storage for hard-to-decarbonize sectors like chemicals, steel, and cement. The UK minister for Energy Security, Alan Whitehead, and Belgium's North Sea minister, Annelies Verlinden, signed the deal in Brussels. Belgium already has similar agreements with Norway, the Netherlands, and Denmark. Verlinden called for a European framework to cooperate with the UK now that it is outside the EU emissions trading scheme. The deal is expected to provide regulatory clarity for industries on both sides of the Channel and support projects that store CO2 from Belgium or other countries in UK seabed sites.