Unlocking Europe’s CO2 Storage Potential

The report assesses Europe's theoretical CO2 storage capacity, estimating it between 262 and 1520 GtCO2, and matches this against industrial and non-industrial CCS demand scenarios for 2035 and 2050. It compares 'Export' scenarios (limited key basins) with 'Domestic' scenarios (widespread storage), finding that while Europe has sufficient long-term theoretical capacity, current announced projects are insufficient for 2035 demand. The analysis highlights that widespread domestic storage could halve transport CAPEX costs compared to export-heavy models, though certain regions like Northern Italy, the German North Sea, and Switzerland may face capacity constraints under high-demand scenarios.

• Theoretical CO2 storage capacity across Europe is estimated to be between 262 and 1520 GtCO2, with Bulgaria and Norway identified as having the largest capacities.
• Several European countries are identified as having limited theoretical storage capacity (≤1 GtCO2), which may hinder CCS viability; these include Belgium, Austria, and Slovenia, while Finland and Estonia have no suitable sedimentary basins.
• Under the 2050 Technical Potential scenario, industrial CCS demand is estimated at 520 MtCO2/year across 1,380 sites, with the cement and lime sector showing the highest deployment levels.
• Non-industrial CCS demand, including blue hydrogen, power CCS, BECCS, and DAC, is highly uncertain but could add up to 724 MtCO2/year by 2050 in the Technical Potential scenario.
• Europe possesses sufficient theoretical storage to last at least 200 years even when combining the highest 2050 industrial and non-industrial demand scenarios (totaling 1250 MtCO2/year).
• Current announced storage project capacities (5100 MtCO2) are insufficient for short-term needs, providing only 27 years of capacity when compared to 2035 Prioritised CCS and non-industrial demand (190 MtCO2/year).
• Widespread domestic storage development is significantly more cost-effective than export-based models, potentially halving transport CAPEX costs.
• Certain regions are at risk of reaching storage capacity limits under high-demand scenarios, specifically Northern Italy, the German North Sea, and Switzerland.
• The total investment required for CO2 transport networks across Europe is estimated to reach up to €50.9 billion in CAPEX.

APA

Baltac, S., Pusceddu, E., O’Sullivan, C., Galbraith-Olive, H., & Henderson, C. (2023). Unlocking Europe’s CO2 Storage Potential. Clean Air Task Force. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/21155827/CATF_European-CO2-Storage-Report_July-23.pdf

Chicago

Baltac, Silvian, Elian Pusceddu, Conor O’Sullivan, Hannah Galbraith-Olive, and Cameron Henderson. Unlocking Europe’s CO2 Storage Potential. Clean Air Task Force, 2023. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/21155827/CATF_European-CO2-Storage-Report_July-23.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Baltac |first1=Silvian |last2=Pusceddu |first2=Elian |last3=O’Sullivan |first3=Conor |last4=Galbraith-Olive |first4=Hannah |last5=Henderson |first5=Cameron |title=Unlocking Europe’s CO2 Storage Potential |publisher=Clean Air Task Force |date=June 2023 |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/21155827/CATF_European-CO2-Storage-Report_July-23.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{baltac2023unlocking, author = {Baltac, Silvian and Pusceddu, Elian and O’Sullivan, Conor and Galbraith-Olive, Hannah and Henderson, Cameron}, title = {{Unlocking Europe’s CO2 Storage Potential}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2023}, month = jun, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/21155827/CATF_European-CO2-Storage-Report_July-23.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }