CO₂ reduction
through storage
under the North Sea

News

06 May 2024

CCS enables climate neutrality in 2050

13 April 2024

First drilling under seawall

25 January 2024

A promising start to 2024!

The Netherlands has clear climate targets: by 2030, greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced by at least 55% compared to 1990. By 2050, the Netherlands must be climate neutral. One of the ways to achieve the climate objectives is to capture and store CO₂(Carbon Capture and Storage, CCS for short). The Climate Agreement explicitly chose CCS as one of the measures for CO₂reduction.

In the Porthos project, CO₂from industry in the port of Rotterdam is captured, transported and stored in empty gas fields under the North Sea. Construction of Porthos has visibly started near Rozenburg. On land, some 30 kilometres of pipeline will go into the ground. And in the North Sea another pipeline up to 20 kilometres off the coast.

The Porthos system is expected to be operational in 2026. A clear step towards a climate-neutral Netherlands!

CCS in the energy transition

The Dutch Climate Agreement contains a broad package of measures for CO₂ reduction. Examples include a sharp increase in renewable energy, use of residual heat and geothermal energy, increased insulation for buildings, electric vehicles, process industry efficiency and recycling. A choice was also made in the Climate Agreement to develop capture, transport and storage of CO₂.

Around 14% of CO₂ emissions in the Netherlands takes place in the Rotterdam port area, making the region’s contribution to the national climate objectives extremely important. For a section of industry, CCS is currently the fastest way to substantially reduce CO₂ emissions into the atmosphere for relatively low costs. CCS is an important technique for the chemical sector, hydrogen producers and refineries to significantly reduce their production process impact in the short term, while working on fundamental and structural innovations to production processes. The long-term objective continues to be sustainability.

Initiators

Porthos is a partnership between the Port of Rotterdam Authority, Gasunie and EBN. These state shareholdings play an important role in the Dutch energy landscape. They aim to contribute to reducing CO₂ emissions in the Netherlands as well as play an active role in the energy transition.

Each of the organisations brings its own experience and expertise to Porthos: the Port of Rotterdam Authority will be focusing on the local situation and market, Gasunie can offer extensive experience with gas infrastructure and transport, and EBN will be sharing its expertise in the area of deeper soil layers and offshore infrastructure.

For more information about the partners: