EU Geological CO₂ storage summary

The report provides a comprehensive overview of European CO2 storage capacity, highlighting the North Sea Basin and the Norwegian shelf as the most prospective areas. It details storage potentials in saline aquifers, hydrocarbon fields, and storage reservoirs across various European regions, while also mapping stationary emission sources, noting that power generation is the dominant emitting sector.

• The CO2StoP project estimated the total CO2 storage capacity for all participating countries at 625 Gt.
• The North Sea Basin and the Norwegian continental shelf are identified as the most prospective areas for CO2 storage in Europe, with the Norwegian shelf alone having a mapped potential of over 80 Gt in saline aquifers, including hydrocarbon fields.
• Based on 2005 data from the EU GeoCapacity project, total emissions from stationary sources exceeding 100 Kt/year were 1988 Mt/y, with the power generation sector accounting for approximately two-thirds of these emissions.
• The CO2StoP project mapped 418 saline aquifers with a total estimated storage capacity of 482 Gt, and 134 storage reservoirs with a total capacity between 31 and 54 Gt.
• Total storage capacity in European hydrocarbon fields is estimated at 25 Gt across 513 fields, with the Groningen field in the Netherlands contributing 7 Gt, or 28% of that total.
• While EU Directive 2009/31/EC provides the overarching regulatory framework for geological CO2 storage and has been transposed into national law by all EU member states, many countries still lack specific national rules regarding licenses, monitoring, liability, and economic responsibilities.

APA

Anthonsen, K. L., & Christensen, N. P. (2021). EU Geological CO₂ storage summary. Clean Air Task Force. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/20183953/EU-CO2-storage-summary_GEUS-report-2021-34_Oct2021.pdf

Chicago

Anthonsen, Karen Lyng, and Niels Peter Christensen. EU Geological CO₂ storage summary. Clean Air Task Force, 2021. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/20183953/EU-CO2-storage-summary_GEUS-report-2021-34_Oct2021.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Anthonsen |first1=Karen Lyng |last2=Christensen |first2=Niels Peter |title=EU Geological CO₂ storage summary |publisher=Clean Air Task Force |date=2021 |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/20183953/EU-CO2-storage-summary_GEUS-report-2021-34_Oct2021.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{anthonsen2021geological, author = {Anthonsen, Karen Lyng and Christensen, Niels Peter}, title = {{EU Geological CO₂ storage summary}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2021}, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/20183953/EU-CO2-storage-summary_GEUS-report-2021-34_Oct2021.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }