CCS, CCU and European CO2 infrastructure: how low-carbon technologies can safeguard Europe’s industrial competitiveness

Brussels, 12 March 2020 – The Zero Emissions Platform (ZEP) welcomes the European Commission’s communications on a “New Industrial Strategy for Europe” and a “New Circular Economy Action Plan”, aligned with the objective of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union by 2050.

The European Climate Law, as well as the final report on EU taxonomy, set an ambitious trajectory for all economic sectors to reach net-zero GHG emissions by 2050 within the European Union. Most notably, Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) technologies are set to play a key role in the decarbonisation of industrial and energy-intensive sectors in Europe, enabling a just transition for European regions and citizens in a cost-efficient manner.

Commenting on the European Commission’s communication, Dr Graeme Sweeney, Chairman of ZEP, stated:

“Industry is at the core of the European economy. For energy-intensive industries such as cement, lime, and steel, climate neutrality represents an unprecedented challenge. Technologies such as CCS and CCU represent the lowest-cost route for these sectors to decarbonise while ensuring productivity and competitiveness. CCS and CCU technologies can also create new jobs along the industrial value chain, while helping to maintain those that will suffer the most from climate change, contributing to a just transition for European regions and citizens.

To fully unlock the potential of CCS technologies for the industrial and energy sectors, European CO2 transport and storage infrastructure will need to be urgently deployed. Cross-border CO2 transport and storage infrastructure will connect industrial clusters, to which emitters could plug in to benefit from the applications for CCS. One of these applications, the production of early, large-scale quantities of low-carbon hydrogen from natural gas, will be essential for a decarbonised industrial sector.”

With regard to the European Clean Hydrogen Alliance, ZEP stresses that the production of hydrogen from natural gas with CCS should be included in order to create a clean hydrogen economy now.

Additionally, ZEP welcomes the European Commission’s intention to evaluate the role of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies and the reuse and utilisation of captured carbon for products. These technologies will need to meet ‘minimum qualifications’ to determine whether they can enable negative emissions. ZEP notes that such solutions will require a thorough carbon accounting methodology, as well as scientific life-cycle analysis. With the support of European CO2 transport and storage infrastructure to deliver long term storage of CO2, the benefits of CCS and CDR technologies will be fully unlocked.