Ineos has officially opened Greensand, the first full-scale carbon dioxide storage site in Europe. Located at Esbjerg, the project is backed by the EU Innovation Fund and will initially store up to 400,000 tonnes of CO2 per year, with plans to scale to 4-8 million tonnes annually. The facility uses liquefied CO2 shipped by vessels like the Carbon Destroyer 1, which can carry 5,000 tonnes per voyage. The opening marks a milestone for carbon capture and storage in Europe, but challenges remain. A recent report notes Europe will need 65 more CO2 carriers and 33 new ports by 2050 to meet CCUS goals. Meanwhile, new CCS project announcements in Europe have declined sharply in the last three years. The focus is on permanent underground storage because it delivers net zero or net-negative emissions, unlike most utilisation methods. The project demonstrates that the technology works, but scaling up will require the right policy and investment conditions to grow CCS across Europe.
