Dutch kick-start European attempts at carbon capture

Europe’s Most Ambitious Carbon Capture and Storage Project Begins in Rotterdam

On the edge of a man-made peninsula at Rotterdam port, engineers have started work on Europe’s most ambitious attempt at capturing and storing the carbon dioxide emissions behind climate change.

After significant delays, drilling started in mid-April to lay a 50km pipeline that will collect CO₂ emissions from the vast refineries and hydrogen plants around Europe’s largest port and inject them into a disused gasfield in the North Sea.

Shell, one of the biggest customers of the €1.3bn Porthos project, claims that it will capture more than 1mn tonnes a year of CO₂, or roughly a quarter of the annual emissions from its Pernis refinery, the biggest in Europe.

Promoting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

• The Porthos project aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by contributing to Goal 13: Climate Action. It aims to reduce CO₂ emissions and combat climate change.
• By capturing and storing carbon dioxide, Porthos supports Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, as it demonstrates the viability of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology in heavy industries such as steel, cement, and fertilizer production.
• The project also contributes to Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals, as it involves collaboration between various stakeholders, including the Dutch government, Shell, and other companies.

Challenges and Benefits of Carbon Capture and Storage

Porthos will be key to proving that carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology is a viable way to reduce emissions. The technology has existed for decades but has been difficult to finance. It is unpopular with environmentalists who argue that CCS enables oil companies to keep drilling.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) recognizes the importance of CCS projects in absorbing CO₂ from heavy industries. The IEA has called for an “urgent” rollout of CCS schemes for industries such as steel, cement, and fertilizer production.

Over the 16 years it will take to fill the P18 gasfield, Porthos is projected to save 37mn tonnes of CO₂ from being released into the atmosphere, roughly equivalent to the annual emissions from driving 9mn petrol-fueled cars.

However, there are risks and unknowns associated with carbon storage. Analysts caution that the project’s economics could turn sour if it fails to capture or store as much CO₂ as hoped.

Investment and Future Projects

1. Porthos’ joint developers, Port of Rotterdam, Gasunie, and EBN, have begun work on the Dutch project at a pivotal moment when other CCS schemes in the North Sea are waiting for final investment decisions.
2. If successful, a second pipeline called Aramis is planned in Rotterdam, which could store more than 10 times as much CO₂. In the UK, companies have obtained licenses to use depleted North Sea fields for storing up to 10% of the country’s annual CO₂ emissions.

The Role of Carbon Capture and Storage in Achieving Net Zero Emissions

Amin Nasser, President and CEO of Saudi Aramco, believes that carbon capture and storage or direct air capture will play a crucial role in achieving net zero emissions. He emphasized the need to continue building these facilities to decarbonize while acknowledging the continued demand for oil and gas beyond 2050.

The IEA predicts that even in its best-case scenario, only about 1% of energy-related CO₂ emissions from last year can be stored by 2030. The head of the IEA, Fatih Birol, dismisses the idea that CCS will allow oil production to continue at its current rate as “pure fantasy.”

Challenges and Future Outlook

Porthos’ costs have increased from the initial estimate due to delays caused by court challenges and other factors. Despite the high project finance costs, the three companies underwriting the project expect to make an annual return of 2.2%.

The project aligns with the Netherlands’ climate goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 49% by 2030 and 95% by 2050. The country sees the development of CCS projects as a necessity, given the availability of empty gasfields.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Analysis

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
• SDG 13: Climate Action
• SDG 14: Life Below Water

The article discusses the development of a carbon capture and storage (CCS) project in Rotterdam, which is connected to the goals of achieving affordable and clean energy (SDG 7), promoting industry, innovation, and infrastructure (SDG 9), taking action on climate change (SDG 13), and protecting life below water (SDG 14).

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• Target 7.2: Increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.
• Target 9.4: Upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes.
• Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning.
• Target 14.5: By 2020, conserve at least 10 percent of coastal and marine areas.

The article highlights the development of a CCS project as a means to reduce CO₂ emissions and promote clean energy, which aligns with Target 7.2. The project also involves the upgrade of infrastructure for carbon capture and storage, supporting Target 9.4. Additionally, the project contributes to Target 13.2 by integrating climate change measures into national policies and planning. Finally, the project’s location near the North Sea connects to Target 14.5, which aims to conserve coastal and marine areas.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Indicator 7.2.1: Renewable energy share in the total final energy consumption.
• Indicator 9.4.1: CO₂ emissions per unit of value added.
• Indicator 13.2.1: Number of countries that have integrated mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning measures into their national policies, strategies, and planning.
• Indicator 14.5.1: Coverage of protected areas in relation to marine areas.

The article does not explicitly mention specific indicators, but the progress towards the identified targets can be measured using the indicators mentioned above. These indicators provide a quantitative way to assess the share of renewable energy, CO₂ emissions intensity, integration of climate change measures, and coverage of protected marine areas.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

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Fuente: ft.com

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