Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) in SE Europe is an emerging field with significant potential for mitigating CO2 emissions, while supporting regional energy transition and economic development.
Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) in SE Europe is an emerging field with significant potential for mitigating CO2 emissions, while supporting regional energy transition and economic development. This region, known for its reliance on fossil fuels, faces unique challenges and opportunities in adopting CCUS technologies. SE Europe has a high concentration of coal-fired power plants and industrial emissions, especially in countries like Romania, Kosovo, Bulgaria, and Greece, while the industrial sectors, including cement, steel, and petrochemicals, contribute substantially to CO2 emissions.
Initial pilot projects and feasibility studies are underway in some countries, focusing on capturing emissions from power plants and industrial sites. Policies around CCUS in SE Europe vary, with EU member states aligning more closely with EU climate strategies, such as the European Green Deal and the “Fit-for-55” package. Non-EU countries face challenges in establishing a regulatory framework and accessing funding for large-scale CCUS projects.
Greece has explored CCUS for industries such as cement manufacturing and refineries, where CO2 capture can play a role in decarbonization. IENE has taken the initiative and has already carried out a comprehensive study on CCUS (see here), which was funded by a group of major energy companies and completed in May 2023.
According to the findings of this study, the technology and know-how, that can enable the introduction of CCUS in Greece and SE Europe over the next few years, exists today in Europe and worldwide. Indicatively, there are several locations in Greece that could serve as potential CO2 storage sites, either via in-situ CO2 injection and storage (within deep saline aquifers, hydrocarbon reservoirs, and porous sandstone reservoir formations), or by the permanent CO2 sequestration via mineralization processes in specific rock types. In addition, the IENE study proposes that a cluster of CCUS hubs could be developed across the country, to be located next to industrial centers, for the capture and temporary storage of CO2, which can subsequently be transported via special vessels to permanent underground storage facilities in Greece or in the other parts of the Mediterranean.
With strong support from local industry, the Institute is currently conducting an important follow-up study in order to ascertain the cost-benefit application of CCUS projects in Greece. In this context, the study will estimate the necessary investment (CAPEX) and operational cost of Greece’s first major CCUS hub, to be located in Attica region, based on the aforementioned study.