EU Carbon Storage Capacity Moves Within Reach of 2030 Target
The European Union is making significant progress towards its 2030 objective of achieving 50 million tonnes of annual CO₂ injection capacity in geological storage sites, a key milestone underpinning its carbon capture and storage ambitions. A new update indicates that the target is now within reach, provided that planned projects are delivered at sufficient pace.
The goal, set in 2024, is intended to accelerate the deployment of carbon capture and storage infrastructure across Europe, helping to reduce industrial emissions and expand access to permanent CO₂ storage. Since its adoption, development activity has gathered pace, with multiple storage projects moving from planning to permitting and early operation.
Three major storage sites at Porthos in the Netherlands, Greensand in the Danish North Sea, and Prinos in the Aegean Sea have already secured permits within the EU framework. The Greensand project is expected to begin injecting CO₂ as early as next month, while Porthos is scheduled to come into operation next year. Prinos is forecast to become operational between 2026 and 2027.
These projects are seen as foundational for the emerging European CO₂ storage market, marking a shift from a largely stagnant period in which only one permit was issued between the adoption of the CCS Directive in 2009 and the setting of the 2030 target in 2024. In the past year alone, Member States have issued four new permits, including the recently approved K14-FAFC site in the Netherlands. A further seven sites are expected to become operational in the coming years, together representing around 19 million tonnes of annual injection capacity.
Industrial demand is also rising sharply. Member States report that a growing number of industrial facilities will depend on CO₂ storage in the coming years. Projects supported by the EU Innovation Fund alone are expected to capture more than 25 million tonnes of CO₂ per year for permanent storage. Nearly 100 carbon capture projects applied to the Innovation Fund between 2020 and 2025, collectively requiring more than 70 million tonnes of annual injection capacity. The contribution of 44 obligated entities will be central to meeting this demand and strengthening Europe’s leadership in carbon capture technologies.
Despite this progress, officials stress that further action is needed, particularly from oil and gas companies, which are expected to develop additional storage capacity and ensure balanced access across Member States. Improved reporting from governments and the 44 obligated companies is also expected to provide investors with greater market transparency.
The development of a functioning EU CO₂ storage market is considered essential to the decarbonisation of hard-to-abate industries and to the delivery of the European Commission’s Clean Industrial Deal. By accelerating infrastructure investment, improving cross-border coordination and providing clearer conditions for industry, the EU aims to build a competitive carbon management sector that supports emissions reductions alongside industrial resilience and clean growth.
Wopke Hoekstra, Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth, said the sector is expanding rapidly, noting that more than 19 million tonnes of annual injection capacity will soon be available to heavy industry. “This new infrastructure will support investments in carbon capture across all Member States,” he said.
