Cross-border collaboration is key to the success of large-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects. This message was emphasised by several European stakeholders during a meeting at the European Parliament on Thursday, 21 September, organised by Aramis and Dutch politician and MEP Tom Berendsen. Panel discussions also revealed that strong alignment between national and European policies and public and private CCS initiatives is equally crucial.

Those attending included delegates from EU member states, private sector companies, government agencies and various CCS projects. In his opening address, Berendsen stressed the importance of CCS for Europe, the value of projects such as Aramis and the need for cross-border collaboration. Aurelia Leeuw, from the environmental NGO Bellona, led the first panel discussion. Representatives from Aramis, oil and gas producer Neptune Energy, French LNG company Elengy and German building materials manufacturer Heidelberg Materials were in attendance.

Potential partnerships
Members of the panel shared their recent efforts and latest developments in carbon capture, transport and storage. Pierre Girard, Neptune Energy’s Director of New Energy, set out his company’s ambition to enable CO₂ storage by connecting its depleted gas fields (especially the North Sea field known as L10) to the Aramis infrastructure. Elengy Asset Manager Joachim Labauge informed the panel about his firm’s CCS project and emphasised the need for a French-Dutch alliance for implementing an industrial CCS chain. And Fredericq Peigneux, Head of Public Affairs at Heidelberg Materials Benelux, explained his company’s ambitious CCS strategy and the potential link to the Aramis infrastructure.

Collective responsibility
The four members of the panel regarded the accelerated development of the CCS value chain as a collective responsibility and considered collaboration to be key for capitalising on the CCS potential for industrial decarbonisation in the short term. By working closely together, EU climate targets can be met while securing a bright future for Northwest European industry.

Dutch and European CCS policies
The meeting’s second panel discussion focused on Dutch and European CCS policies. Katrien Prins, Senior Policy Officer at the European Commission, and Joëlle Rekers, Team Lead North Sea Programmes at the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, talked to attendees about relevant European policy developments. For example, the European Commission recently introduced the Net-Zero Industry Act to create a greener, more resilient European manufacturing industry. And in the soon to be launched Carbon Management Strategy, the commission will set out its CCS policy.

Aligning European and national policies
In conclusion, Rekers mentioned the need to align the policies of individual EU member states with wider European policy. She elaborated on policy both from a Dutch perspective and from that of her contacts in other European countries. Annemarie Manger, Head of Joint Team at Aramis, closed the event after a Q&A session with the audience. She reiterated the importance of cross-border collaboration between the various CCS projects as well as at national and international policy levels to decarbonise European industry and ensure climate targets are met.