CCS in Europe

Europe – defined for the purposes of this page as the European Member States, together with Norway – is one of the first movers in the use of CCS. It is home to numerous projects at various scales which have been initiated over the past 20 years, including some of the first operational projects (Sleipner and Snovhit in Norway).

The region is an authoritative source of knowledge in most aspects of CCS technology and deployment. A European Commission Directive mandates that Members States institute legal and regulatory frameworks for CCS. Funding for demonstration projects is available through the Commission’s NER300 program, which is linked to Europe’s emissions trading scheme. Funding is also provided through the European economic stimulus spending (EERP) and individual countries.

The UK and the Netherlands have the largest number of projects in Europe. But it is Norway that remains the most advanced country in storing CO₂ in Europe, with Sleipner and Snovhit collectively storing around 1.7 million tonnes of CO₂ per annum from their natural gas processing activities. Significant projects are also underway in Germany, Spain, Italy, Poland and Romania.