His Majesty King Frederik X of Denmark officially inaugurated the EU’s first full-scale commercial CO2 storage facility on Sept. 18, marking a major milestone for European decarbonization infrastructure. Led by INEOS Energy alongside partners Harbour Energy and the Danish North Sea Fund (Nordsøfonden), the Greensand project at the Port of Esbjerg has transitioned from demonstration testing into full commercial operation.
In its initial phase, Greensand is equipped to inject and permanently store up to 400,000 metric tons of CO2 annually. INEOS plans to scale total operational capacity up to 4-8 million tons per year as regional industrial capture projects come online.
The initial supply chain will source biogenic CO2 from Danish biomethane plants. The liquefied gas will be trucked to Port Esbjerg, loaded onto Carbon Destroyer 1 – the EU’s first purpose-built CO2 carrier – and injected into the depleted Nini West oil reservoir, located 1,800 meters (5,900 ft) below the seabed in the Danish North Sea.
Transitioning European Industry From Ambition to Operational Execution
The facility’s opening comes as European energy-intensive sectors face mounting pressure to balance strict net-zero targets against international competitiveness and elevated operating costs. The EU currently aims to reach 50 million tons of annual CO2 capture capacity by 2030.
“Europe will not achieve net zero by closing factories and exporting its jobs. We need solutions that allow industry to remain competitive while reducing emissions,” said Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Chairman of INEOS.
“Greensand proves it can be done. This is not a pilot project, a concept, or a political ambition. It is a fully operational carbon transport and storage business.”
Relevant: INEOS Awards Score Major Carbon Capture Contracts For Project Greensand
The operationalization of Greensand provides European industrial emitters with dedicated infrastructure to transport and permanently sequester captured emissions offshore.
“Today marks an important milestone for Europe… we prove that carbon storage is a practical reality,” added European Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jørgensen.
“We show that we can move from demonstration to deployment, setting out a path for European industries to continue their transition to a low-carbon future while maintaining production and employment.”
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