Denmark has reached a major milestone in its carbon capture and storage strategy after the Danish Energy Agency approved the country’s first full-scale geological CO2 storage site.
The permit allows the Nini West field in the Danish sector of the North Sea – around 240 km (150 miles) northwest of Esbjerg – to be repurposed for long-term carbon storage.
The authorization grants Greensand Future, a partnership between INEOS E&P, Harbour Energy and the Danish state-owned North Sea Fund, the right to store up to 2.4 million tons of CO2 over a 30-year period. The decision marks the first time Denmark has issued a full commercial license for CO2 storage and positions the project as a cornerstone of the country’s emerging CCS value chain.
From Pilot Injection to EU First
According to the Danish Energy Agency, geological storage is the critical final link in ensuring captured CO2 delivers real climate benefits. By enabling permanent storage beneath the seabed, the approval is expected to support Denmark’s national climate targets while helping establish a domestic market for CCS services.
Greensand Future anticipates that the storage site will enter operation by mid-2026. Once online, it is expected to become not only Denmark’s first operational CO2 storage facility, but also the first full-scale CO2 storage site in the European Union.
Relevant: Denmark Converts North Sea Oil Field Into Major CO2 Storage Hub
The approval builds on earlier pilot activities at Nini West. In late 2022, the Greensand consortium received permission to inject up to 15,000 tons of CO2 as part of a short-term demonstration.
The first injection took place in March 2023, proving that CO2 could be safely captured, transported and stored in Danish offshore geology. The CO2 is injected into sandstone reservoirs located roughly 1,700 to 1,800 meters below the seabed, sealed by impermeable rock layers above.
Nini West is a depleted oil and gas field, and the project will reuse existing offshore infrastructure, including the former Nini-A production platform. Repurposing legacy assets is expected to reduce costs while accelerating Denmark’s transition from fossil fuel production toward permanent carbon storage.
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