INEOS Energy has started commercial operations at the Greensand project in the Danish North Sea, opening what it describes as the European Union's first full-scale carbon dioxide storage site, with initial capacity of up to 400,000 tonnes per year.
Denmark's King Frederik X officially opened the facility on September 18 at the Port of Esbjerg. The project is led by INEOS Energy alongside Harbour Energy and the Danish North Sea Fund, or Nordsøfonden.
Greensand is designed to scale up to between 4 million and 8 million tonnes of CO2 storage annually as demand grows.
In the first commercial phase, CO2 will come primarily from Danish biomethane plants. After capture, the CO2 is liquefied and transported by truck to a dedicated terminal at the Port of Esbjerg before being shipped offshore aboard Carbon Destroyer 1, described as the EU's first purpose-built CO2 carrier.
The CO2 is injected for permanent storage into the depleted Nini West oil reservoir, about 250 kilometers offshore and approximately 1,800 meters beneath the seabed.
“For years, CCS in Europe has been defined by plans, targets and ambitions. Today, Greensand brings the EU’s first full-scale CO2 storage site and value chain into operation. It provides a foundation on which future Carbon Capture projects across Europe can now build,” said David Bucknall, INEOS Energy’s CEO.
The integrity of the Nini reservoir has been tested by the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, while Greensand has received safety approval from DNV.
INEOS plans to expand the facility to receive captured CO2 from industries elsewhere in Europe as carbon capture projects develop.
“Greensand starts with biogenic CO2, but its significance reaches far beyond that first step. We are ready to expand capacity to receive CO2 from industries across Europe. Greensand is open for business, and a new European market for permanent CO2 storage can now begin to take shape," added Mads Gade, CEO of INEOS Energy Europe.