Porthos lays foundations for future European CCS projects

(Posted on 08/09/24)

Construction of the Porthos CCS (carbon capture and storage) project in the port area of Rotterdam is well underway. It is the first CO₂ transport and storage project of this scale in the European Union to be realised. Porthos is the start of much more, it’s laying the foundations for future CCS projects in north-west Europe.

The construction of Porthos was celebrated with those directly involved. The Mayor of Rotterdam, Ahmed Aboutaleb, the Minister of Climate Policy and Green Growth, Sophie Hermans and Deputy Director-General from the European Commission for Energy, Mechthild Wörsdörfer opened the event together with the CEOs of Porthos’ shareholders Gasunie, EBN (Energie Beheer Nederland) and the Port of Rotterdam. Minister Hermans: “CCS is crucial to meet climate targets. By building the first large-scale transport and storage system for CO₂ in the Netherlands, Porthos is taking a big step. This will allow the industry to reduce emissions and keep a competitive industry here in the Netherlands. I am proud of all the parties who are making this possible.”

Porthos is building an infrastructure to transport CO₂ from industry in the port of Rotterdam to depleted gas fields under the North Sea. Porthos customers Shell, ExxonMobil, Air Liquide and Air Products will supply CO₂ to an open-access pipeline running through the Rotterdam port area. The CO₂ will be transported via an offshore pipeline to an existing platform in the North Sea, approximately 20 kilometres off the coast. From this platform, the CO₂ will be pumped into depleted gas fields. The depleted gas fields are located in a sealed reservoir of porous sandstone more than 3 kilometres beneath the North Sea. Porthos has been recognised by the European Union as a project of common interest and has been awarded €102 million from the Connecting Europe Facility.

CO₂ storage within the Porthos project can bridge the time needed for industry to switch from fossil fuels to low- or zero-carbon alternatives. The construction of the Porthos onshore open access pipeline marks the start of the development of a future CO₂ network in Northwest Europe. While Porthos will transport 2.5 million tonnes per year, the onshore Porthos pipeline is ready for 10 million tonnes, so it can also supply CO₂ to future projects like Aramis. The compressor station is also ready for expansion. It forms the heart of the future CO₂ hub, to which also CO₂next can be connected. This liquid CO₂ terminal will be able to receive and deliver liquid CO₂ by ship for customers not connected to a pipeline.

These projects in Rotterdam form the beginning of a CCS chain that can develop into an international CCS network with the Delta Rhine Corridor and other links. The development of Rotterdam as a CO₂ hub contributes to the European CCS policy as set out in the Industrial Carbon Management Strategy (ICMS) and the Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA). In combination with technologies such as Direct Air Capture (DAC) and Bioenergy CO₂ Capture and Storage (BECCS), the network could contribute to reaching negative emissions in the future. CO₂ is currently used in greenhouse horticulture and future demand is expected for CO₂ as a feedstock, for the production of synthetic fuels and for closed-loop processes.

Boudewijn Siemons, CEO of the Port of Rotterdam: "This project is an important contribution to the goal of a 55% reduction in CO₂ emissions in the Rotterdam port area by 2030 and a CO₂-neutral port by 2050. It is the start of a CO₂ infrastructure in the port that will enable future CO₂ storage projects to reduce CO₂ emissions and projects to use CO₂ as a feedstock. As a European energy port, we are facilitating the development of CO₂ infrastructure and connections with neighbouring countries to enable the reduction of CO₂