Belgium and Norway join forces to transport and store CO2
The Federal government, the Flemish and Walloon regional governments and the government of Norway have signed an undertaking that will facilitate the transportation and storage of CO2 between Belgium and Norway. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a cutting-edge technology that aims to capture, transport and store carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted by industry.
CO2 emissions are captured and the gas transported to deep underground facilities or to empty oil or gas fields for storage. The CO2 is stored permanently, preventing it from entering the atmosphere and contributing to the greenhouse effect.
According to the International Energy Agency, the United Nations Climate Agency and the European Union, CCS can play a key role in achieving climate neutrality and reducing global warming. Following similar agreements with the Netherlands and Denmark, Belgium has now signed a partnership agreement with Norway, a country with considerable underwater storage capacity.
The bilateral agreement allows Belgian companies to invest in the Northern Lights pilot project. This is an initiative to capture CO2 emissions from industry all over Europe and then transport them by pipeline to an offshore storage site under the North Sea.
The partnership brings together several companies that are active in Norway, including Equinor, Shell and TotalEnergies and enjoys the support of the Norwegian government. It also paves the way for the CO2 Highway Europe project, a collaboration between the Belgian gas distribution company Fluxys (pictured) and Equinor to build an offshore CO2 pipeline between the West Flemish port of Zeebrugge and Norwegian CO2 storage sites.
The agreement was signed on Monday by the Federal Secretary of State Alexia Bertrand (Flemish liberal) and the Norwegian Secretary of State for Energy Elisabeth Sæther. The Flemish Environment Minister Zuhal Demir (Flemish nationalist) and the Walloon Climate and Energy Minister Philippe Henry (Francophone green), signed the agreement digitally on behalf of their respective governments.