COP30: Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)

Recommendations

• Prioritise CCS as a climate solution. Deploy CCS in sectors that cannot be decarbonised by other means within a reasonable timeframe.
• Clarify terminology in climate negotiations. Clearly define “unabated fossil fuels”, including requirements for rapid abatement and a high degree of purification based on Best Available Technology.
• Expand the phase-out to more sources. Include emissions from process industries and fossil feedstocks, not only fuels, in the phase-out of unabated emissions.
• Commit oil-producing countries. Require that nations with significant fossil resources also provide CO₂ storage capacity corresponding to their exported emissions.
• Establish frameworks for cross-border storage. Develop international standards for CO₂ transport and storage between countries to enable large-scale deployment.
• Develop new business models. Strengthen collaboration between industry, research and public financing to accelerate scale-up.

Current situation

CCS comprises technologies for capturing CO₂, transporting it and safely storing it in geological formations. According to the IPCC, CCS is essential in almost all scenarios that achieve the climate goals of the Paris Agreement. It is the only technology capable of decarbonising certain industries such as cement and lime production, waste-to-energy, and parts of metal production. In hard-to-abate sectors such as aluminium, CCS will be crucial to achieving net zero by 2050.

For CCS to become an effective climate mitigation tool, arrangements must be made for transporting and storing several gigatonnes of CO₂ annually by 2050. To achieve this, standards and predictability must be established so that CO₂ can flow through a network of operators and across national borders. Policymakers must find the best possible balance between regulation and market forces.

CCS is also vital for producing clean hydrogen from natural gas – so-called blue or low-carbon hydrogen. Permanent CO₂ storage can help realise the hydrogen infrastructure in a cost-effective way, supporting the transition to a renewable energy future.

Successful CCS implementation requires strong industrial engagement in research projects that develop practical and cost-effective solutions. New business models must be created to ensure rapid implementation. Neither governments nor companies can solve the climate crisis alone — contributions from both public and private capital will be necessary.

Although CCS is a relatively mature technology with great potential, implementation and scale-up are progressing too slowly. For instance, Norway has stored around one million tonnes of CO₂ over ten years through the Sleipner and Snøhvit projects, while emissions from the use of exported Norwegian gas amount to approximately 315 million tonnes per year. This illustrates a major imbalance between the measures implemented and what is required to meet climate goals.

Norway’s continental shelf holds enormous CO₂ storage potential. Interest in expanding CO₂ storage beyond the hydrocarbon sector is therefore high, but financing mechanisms for these new projects remain uncertain. Further research is needed to optimise the use of storage resources when multiple projects are operating simultaneously, including studies of pressure interactions between storage sites.

Solution

In principle, CCS can remove nearly 100 % of CO₂ emissions from the use of fossil materials — whether from fuels such as coal and oil, or from industrial processes releasing fossil or biogenic CO₂. Although the technology is mature, financial incentives such as higher carbon prices will be crucial to increase capture rates.

Even with strong progress in renewable energy production and energy efficiency, CCS technologies will be required to reduce emissions from hard-to-abate sectors such as heavy industry and fossil-based energy production. CCS also forms the foundation for capturing CO₂ from biogenic processes (BECCS), directly from the air (Direct Air Capture – DAC) or from the ocean. In addition to fossil sources, CCS can be applied to biogenic processes such as biogas and waste-to-energy, potentially making these processes climate-positive.

Norway is a pioneer in CCS technology, with nearly 30 years of experience in safe CO₂ transport and storage at the Sleipner field, and 17 years at the Snøhvit field near Melkøya. CO₂ capture and transport are comparable to other process industries, involving the handling of a gas that is neither explosive nor toxic at normal concentrations. Thorough mapping and monitoring of storage sites during and after operation are essential to ensure safe and permanent storage.

The Northern Lights project, part of the Longship initiative, represents Europe’s first large-scale CO₂ storage hub. In Phase 1, the project will transport and store up to 1.5 million tonnes of CO₂ from various industrial facilities onshore. Northern Lights aims to store 5 million tonnes of CO₂ under the seabed each year in the next phase, with potential for further expansion into nearby geological formations. The project has already entered Phase 2, demonstrating strong interest in additional CO₂ capture capacity. Longship provides a template for how public–private partnerships can close the gap between pilot projects and full-scale implementation. Early public investment enables companies to participate in the CCS transition and lowers total costs in the long run.

CCS is an essential tool for reducing emissions, securing the future of industry in a low-emission economy, and helping the world reach net zero by 2050.