INEOS has started operations at Project Greensand, described as the European Union’s first full-scale carbon storage project.
The initial phase is designed to store up to 400,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually, with potential capacity increasing to between 4 million and 8 million tonnes per year at full scale.
CO₂ captured from Danish biomethane plants will be liquefied and transported by road to the Port of Esbjerg. From there, it will be shipped approximately 250 km offshore and injected into the depleted Nini West oil field, around 1800 m beneath the North Sea seabed.
The start of operations marks the transition of Project Greensand from pilot testing to an operational cross-industry CCS chain. It also demonstrates how depleted offshore fields and their existing geological knowledge can be repurposed for permanent carbon storage.
For the subsurface community, attention will now turn to injection performance, reservoir behaviour and the monitoring technologies used to verify containment as storage volumes increase.
Norway’s Northern Lights facility began storing CO₂ in August 2025, but Project Greensand is the first full-scale project to enter operation within an EU member state.
To learn the latest on CCS in Denmark, Europe and beyond, join the GET2027 CCS Conference from 3-5 Nov 2027 in Hannover, Germany. Full details of the programme here.
Image credit INEOS Energy
