Carbon Capture & Storage in Portugal

Portugal has a theoretical CO2 storage capacity of 7.09 GtCO2, which could support the decarbonisation of its energy-intensive industries, particularly cement and pulp and paper. While no active CCS projects exist, the STRATEGY CCUS project has identified the Lusitanian Basin as a key area for cluster development. To accelerate adoption, the document recommends creating a national carbon management strategy, clarifying offshore maritime space permits, and establishing cross-border storage partnerships with EU member states like Spain.

• Portugal's industry and waste management sectors emit 11.219 MtCO2/yr, representing 28% of total CO2 emissions. Over a third of these emissions originate from energy-intensive industries such as refineries and cement and lime production.
• The cement sector is a critical economic component and the EU's 4th largest producer of cement clinker. Because two-thirds of its emissions are process emissions that cannot be mitigated via fuel switching or clinker substitution, CCS is considered a necessary tool, capable of capturing up to 95% of emissions from a plant.
• The pulp and paper sector offers significant potential for negative emissions through Bioenergy and Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS), as 75% of the sector's CO2 emissions are of biogenic origin.
• Portugal possesses a theoretical CO2 storage capacity of 7.09 GtCO2, which is sufficient to store 264 years of the country's annual point source emissions. This capacity is distributed across the Lusitanian Basin (3.19 GtCO2), the Algarve Basin (2.17 GtCO2), and the Porto Basin (1.73 GtCO2).
• The STRATEGY CCUS project identified the Lusitanian Basin as a potential hub for a CCS cluster. In this region, 20 emitters produce 12.66 MtCO2/yr (97% of regional emissions); by 2045, these projects could capture and store 4.7 MtCO2/yr, reducing regional emissions by 28%.

APA

Clean Air Task Force (n.d.). Carbon Capture & Storage in Portugal. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/16132012/ccs-portugal-fact-sheet.pdf

Chicago

Clean Air Task Force. Carbon Capture & Storage in Portugal. n.d. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/16132012/ccs-portugal-fact-sheet.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Clean Air Task Force |title=Carbon Capture & Storage in Portugal |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/16132012/ccs-portugal-fact-sheet.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cleanairtaskforcendcarbon, author = {{Clean Air Task Force}}, title = {{Carbon Capture \& Storage in Portugal}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/16132012/ccs-portugal-fact-sheet.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }