Denmark grants 1st full-scale CO2 storage permits in Danish North Sea

Two applications have been received in the first round of licenses for underground CO2 storage in the Danish section of the North Sea, the Danish Energy Agency announced on Tuesday.

The first application came from TotalEnergies EP Danmark A/S, and the second came from a consortium consisting of INEOS E&P and Wintershall Dea International.

The license projects cover underground storage of upwards of 13 million tons of carbon per year from 2030 on.

With three new licenses for large-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS), a new industry is growing in the Danish part of the North Sea.

Denmark sees carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology, which removes CO2 emissions from the atmosphere and stores them underground, as critical to reaching its goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2045.

‘The venture begins in 2025. From 2030, up to 13 million tons of CO2 annually will be pumped into the ground,’ the statement read.

‘It is estimated that the storage potential of the Danish underground is up to 22 billion tons—which corresponds to somewhere between 500 and 1000 years of Danish emissions if we were to fill it up ourselves,’ the statement said.

• Danish Energy Agency