Europe’s Largest Carbon Capture Facility Opens

Europe’s largest carbon capture facility, developed by Norwegian fertilizer company Yara International, opened in the Netherlands on Monday. The carbon capture and storage (CCS) facility in Sluiskil, in the province of Zeeland, will reduce emissions at one of Europe’s largest fertilizer plants and send the captured carbon to Norway for storage.

Starting this year, the Yara Sluiskil plant will capture and liquefy up to 800,000 metric tons of CO2 annually. The carbon will be transported to Norway and stored 2.6 km below the seabed on the Norwegian continental shelf by Northern Lights.

Yara estimates that the project will capture around 12 million metric tons of CO2 over 15 years. At the opening ceremony, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said the project offered a solution that was both scientifically advanced and commercially viable.

The European Union plans to use carbon capture technology to help achieve its goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, particularly in chemical production, where low-carbon alternatives are limited. The technology has faced long-standing doubts in Europe over its commercial viability, as well as opposition from activists and some governments.

Critics argue that CCS could allow companies to continue producing oil and gas on the promise that emissions will be captured in the future.

(Reuters, max)