Carbon Capture

The EU promotes research and innovation for systems for capturing and storing CO2 from the atmosphere, which is responsible for the greenhouse effect and therefore for the rise in temperatures. 

Although the least expensive system is to preserve the natural environment, given that CO2 is the bread for the plant kingdom, systems for carbon capture and storage (CCS) have been sought for years, a set of technologies aimed at capturing , transport and store the CO2 emitted by power plants and industrial plants.

The goal of CCS is to prevent CO2 from reaching the atmosphere by storing it in suitable underground geological formations. As a significant amount of power generation and industry will continue to rely on fossil fuels well into the future, the use of CCS is important to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
​
​

Credits: European Commission

Carbon capture projects

Despite EU regulations and co-financing opportunities provided through the European Energy Recovery Program and NER300, carbon capture and storage have failed to develop at the expected pace, until now.

In 2013, the European Commission reviewed the progress of CCS and found that more than 20 small-scale CCS demonstration projects are operational globally but none in Europe and that at current low carbon prices, companies do not have a economic interest in investing in CCS.

Furthermore a first generation CCS power plant is 60% to 100% more expensive than a conventional power plant. However, the Commission expects the cost of CCS to decrease over the long term as a result of R&D and the creation of economies of scale.​

Nevertheless, the EU is financing research for capturing carbon dioxide and to assess the future of various techniques.
​

CO2 capture

Enter

EU legislation on Carbon stockage

The European Union has been progressively implementing legislation and policies to regulate and encourage carbon storage as part of its broader strategy to combat climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Here's an overview of the key aspects of EU legislation related to carbon storage:
​

• EU Emissions Trading System (ETS): The EU ETS is a cornerstone of the EU's policy to combat climate change and a key tool for reducing industrial greenhouse gas emissions cost-effectively. It covers carbon dioxide emissions from power plants, manufacturing industries, and flights within the European Economic Area. The system allows for trading of emission allowances as a means to incentivize emission reductions.
• Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Directive: The EU's CCS Directive, adopted in 2009, provides a legal framework for the environmentally safe geological storage of carbon dioxide. This directive ensures that any geological storage of CO2 within the EU is conducted in a manner that prevents and minimizes any potential negative effects on the environment and human health.
• LULUCF Regulation: The Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) EU Regulation is part of the EU's commitment to reducing emissions. It requires Member States to account for changes in land use that impact carbon stocks and greenhouse gas emissions. The LULUCF regulation is crucial for monitoring and reporting carbon removals and emissions from land use, and it aims to ensure that land use becomes more climate-friendly.​​

Click to read

• Innovation Fund: The Innovation Fund is one of the world's largest funding programs for the demonstration of innovative low-carbon technologies. Financed by the EU ETS, the fund aims to support innovative low-carbon technologies, including those for carbon capture, use, and storage.
• Green Deal and European Climate Law: The European Green Deal and the European Climate Law set out ambitious targets for the EU to become climate-neutral by 2050. These legislative frameworks emphasize the need for carbon removal technologies and practices, including reforestation, afforestation, carbon farming, and technological solutions like CCS.
• Circular Economy Action Plan: The Circular Economy Action Plan, updated in 2020, includes proposals to develop an effective and robust certification framework for carbon removals. This framework is intended to ensure the quality of carbon removals and to incentivize their uptake in the EU.
• Sustainable Carbon Cycles Communication: This communication sets the vision for enabling sustainable carbon cycles and emphasizes the role of carbon farming and the development of an internal market for CO2 capture, use, storage, and transport.
• Proposal for Amending the LULUCF Regulation: The European Commission has proposed amendments to the LULUCF Regulation to introduce a separate land-based net removals target, thus increasing the ambition for carbon removals through land use policies. European Parliament Opinion here.

​EU legislation on carbon storage encompasses a range of directives, regulations, and action plans that address various aspects of carbon capture, use, and storage, as well as land use practices that contribute to carbon sequestration. These legislative measures are integral to the EU's broader strategy for achieving its climate goals and transitioning to a low-carbon economy.
​

EU Certification for Carbon Removals

On 30 November 2022, the EU Commission presented a Proposal for a Regulation establishing a Union certification framework for carbon removals.

The European Parliament voted its position on 21 November 2023. A final text will be negotiated with the EU Council.

The global effort to limit the average temperature increase to below 1.5 °C requires substantial reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Key strategies include improving efficiency in buildings, transport, and industries; transitioning to a circular economy; and significantly expanding renewable energy. Additionally, recycling carbon from waste streams, sustainable biomass, or directly from the atmosphere is vital, especially in sectors that will remain carbon-dependent, such as through carbon capture and use (CCU) and sustainable synthetic fuels. Furthermore, increasing carbon dioxide removal through carbon farming and industrial activities is essential to offset emissions from challenging sectors like agriculture and transport, aiming for climate neutrality.

The latest International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report indicates that limiting global warming to 1.5°C is becoming less likely without rapid GHG emission reductions. Achieving net-zero CO2 or GHG emissions necessitates deploying carbon dioxide removal strategies on a large scale, capturing CO2 from the atmosphere and storing it in geological reservoirs, ecosystems, or products.

Click to link

The European Climate Law aims for the EU to become climate-neutral by 2050. This requires significant GHG emission reductions and balancing unavoidable emissions and removals within the EU by 2050, with the goal of achieving negative emissions thereafter. Current policies, however, show the EU is not on track, with carbon removals in natural ecosystems decreasing and no significant industrial carbon removals taking place.

The European Commission, aligning with IPCC scenarios, plans to develop a certification framework for carbon removals, as stated in the Circular Economy Action Plan. This framework aims to ensure high-quality carbon removals in the EU and establish an EU governance certification system to avoid greenwashing, supporting the 2050 climate neutrality objective.

Consistent with existing policies, the Commission proposed a land-based net removals target and plans to increase the size of the Innovation Fund, financed by the EU Emissions Trading System, to support clean technologies and carbon removals. The 2021 Communication on Sustainable Carbon Cycles emphasizes rewarding land managers for carbon sequestration and creating an EU internal market for CO2 capture, use, storage, and transport. The proposal aligns with the Conference on the Future of Europe's proposals and the Commission's commitment to achieving net-zero GHG emissions by 2030.

The proposed certification framework will build on existing climate change legislation, ensuring that industrial activities like BECCS and DACCS comply with EU methodologies for quantifying GHG emission avoidance. For carbon farming and storage, the LULUCF Regulation provides guidelines for monitoring and reporting carbon removals, encouraging the use of digital tools and remote sensing technologies.