Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Carbon capture and storage involves the processes of capturing carbon dioxide - typically from industrial processes or from burning fossil fuels – and transporting and storing it permanently deep underground in geological formations such as depleted oil and reservoirs.

CCS is counted as one of the most effective ways to decarbonise, making it a vital technology on the road to global net zero. According to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), as the world transitions to a lower-carbon economy, global temperature changes cannot be kept at bay without capturing and storing CO2.

The technology behind CCS is well-proven and has been around for more than 40 years. It has traditionally been used for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). Studies have shown that CO2 can be safely stored underground in geological formations for thousands and even millions of years.

Greensand will be storing CO2 in a suited geological reservoir in the North Sea. The collected Greensand storage facilities in the North Sea (the Siri fairway) are extremely stable reservoirs from a geological perspective. They have retained gas and oil for more than 10 million years, making them a very safe permanent storage site for CO2. The integrity of the Greensand Nini reservoir in the North Sea has been tested by the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), and Greensand Future has received safety approval from the world-leading independent verifier DNV.

Greensand is a world-leading CO2 storage facility located in the Danish North Sea. Following its successful pilot, which was supported by the Danish state through the Energy Technology Development and Demonstration Program (EUDP), Greensand is now entering its first commercial phase, Greensand Future, with storage operations set to begin at the end of 2025/early 2026.

The companies behind Greensand - the current storage license holders (IRIS) - are INEOS Energy Denmark, Harbour Energy and the Danish State Subsurface Resource Company Nordsøfonden.

Greensand offers CO2 storage as a service for companies that want to help accelerate the development of a crucial climate technology and support their own decarbonisation journey by carbon removal credits. We are also offering actors along the CCS value chain (for example emitters, transporters and ports) the opportunity to partner with us and help scale the project as volumes of captured CO2 increases.

Greensand provides safe and effective CO2 storage in a suited geological reservoir 1,800 meters below the seabed some 200 off the Danish west coast. The Greensand storage facilities in the North Sea (the Siri fairway) are extremely stable reservoirs from a geological perspective. They have retained gas and oil for more than 10 million years, making them a very safe permanent storage site for CO2. The integrity of the Greensand Future Nini reservoir in the North Sea has been tested by the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), and Greensand Future has received safety approval from the world-leading independent verifier DNV.

In its first commercial phase, Greensand Future, CO2 will come from Danish biomethane production with an aim to store 400.000 tonnes of biogenic from per year – large volumes of which are readily available. In later phases, the CO2 will come from both biogenic and fossil sources.

We need to store as much CO2 as we can – as fast as we can. Right now, biogas production offers high volumes of CO2 that can be more easily captured compared to industrial fossil emission sources. While capture facilities at these sources mature into the needed scale, there is, in Europe alone, an estimated 21 mtpa biogenic CO2 from biogas plants that could be captured and stored rather than emitted. That is why we’re moving ahead now with an outlook to storing both biogenic and fossil CO2 as we develop the project.

Storing CO2 in the subsurface can have an impact on the marine environment in the unlikely case of a leakage. However, the collected Greensand storage facilities in the North Sea (the Siri fairway) are extremely stable reservoirs from a geological perspective. They have retained gas and oil for more than 10 million years, making them a very safe permanent storage site for CO2. The integrity of the Greensand Future Nini reservoir in the North Sea has been tested by the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), and Greensand Future has received safety approval from the world-leading independent verifier DNV.

It’s not an either-or – we need to do both. According to IPCC, the International Energy Agency and the EU, there is no way to reach net zero emissions without capturing and storing CO2. While industries around the world are transitioning to lower-carbon business models, capturing and storing CO2 will be necessary to abate the emissions that can’t be avoided based on current knowledge and solutions.

This is based on a review of current and future CCS projects around the world based on the Global CCS Institute’s annual status report. Read the review in this factsheet.

Greensand provides effective CO2 storage, achieving a relative greenhouse gas avoidance of approx. 94%.

This means that 94% of the CO2 which would have otherwise been emitted will be stored. The remaining 6% is the GHG footprint attributed to operating the CCS value chain from liquefaction to transport and storage operations.

The 94% figure is based on an extensive Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), assuming the most conservative cases on energy consumption in the value chain, covering the processes from liquefaction of the CO2, transport and storage operations.

We expect efficacy to improve as new technologies and solutions reduce the carbon footprint of storage operations, further enhancing the project’s effectiveness in mitigating climate change.

No. Using the voluntary climate credit market to direct funds to projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, certified by the highest quality CO2 standards, ensures that these credits help speed up climate action. It's a cost-effective and transparent way to push forward global decarbonisation efforts. It's also just one of many tools in the climate action toolkit: an effective strategy and a robust solution, allowing businesses to take action today while more climate-friendly technologies are being developed to further advance decarbonisation efforts.

The companies behind Greensand - the current storage license holders (IRIS) - are INEOS Energy Denmark, Harbour Energy and the Danish State Subsurface Resource Company Nordsøfonden.

Greensand works with several partners to ensure residual CO2 can be captured, transported to harbour sites, and sailed to the North Sea for permanent storage.

We are continuously exploring new partnership opportunities which can help strengthen the CCS value chain - from capture, transport and storage.

Reach out via greensand@ineos.com if you are interested in working with us.