[Brussels, 16 May] – On 14 May, the Carbon Capture and Storage Association (CCSA) held its annual EU Conference in Brussels, gathering more than 230 delegates from across the CCUS value chain, including policymakers, industry leaders, and civil society organisations. The conference contributed to advance vital discussions on the role of CCUS in decarbonising European industry, maintaining competitiveness, and meeting the EU’s climate targets.
A panel on the role of the recently announced Clean Industrial Deal kicked off the day, with insights from MEP Jeannette Baljeu (Renew, NL) and Alexander Vink (Gasunie), Elena Leonardi (Cefic) and Paolo Testini (Snam, Ravenna CCS Project partner), who all agreed on the urgent need to decarbonise without deindustrialising. The message was clear: robust and pragmatic EU regulation must support the commercial deployment of carbon capture technologies to strengthen Europe’s industrial base.
The stage was then set for further discussions on projects presentations to highlight that CCUS is happening, as in the case of the Ravenna CCS Project in Southern Europe, presented by Luca Rossi (Eni), and a deep dive into Gasunie activities and the essential role of cooperation in a cross-border scenario. The conference continued with a panel discussion on the key topic of CO₂ transport, with speakers concluding that regulatory clarity and flexibility are very much needed to support market development and cross-border transport solutions. The discussion was also joined by Augustijn van Haasteren, CCUS Team leader at the European Commission’s DG ENER.
Finally, the focus shifted to a deep dive into Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) and the EU ETS, highlighting the importance of integrating compliance and voluntary carbon markets to scale solutions. Fabien Ramos, Carbon Removal Lead at DG CLIMA, also joined this panel and highlighted the current work of DG CLIMA on these topics. The day then concluded with a spotlight on Carbon Capture and Utilisation, especially the policy and financial incentives needed to give CO₂ a viable second life.
Thanks to the presence in the room of policymakers from both the EU and third countries, and conversations on the value of a Europe-wide CO₂ storage market, integrating EEA and third-party countries such as the UK, were held. This solution would be beneficial for EU emitters as they could access additional storage sites in the North Sea, bringing down costs and emissions. These conversations on international cooperation prove particularly effective, especially ahead of the EU-UK Summit, scheduled for 19 May in London.
Thierry Grauwels, EU Director, said:
“Today’s discussions clearly showed the momentum building around CCUS in Europe. As the CCSA’s new EU Director, I’m proud to join at such a pivotal moment, one where bold decisions are needed to turn ambition into delivery. From North Sea hubs to emerging Southern and Eastern European projects, we must now work together to build a pragmatic regulatory framework that enables deployment at scale. The commitment shown today by industry, policymakers and partners gives me confidence: the key to success really is in this room.”
Notes to Editors
For media enquiries please contact Francesco D’Apolito on 0039 3317311062 / francesco.dapolito@ccsassociation.org
About the CCSA
CCUS, or Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage, is a key low carbon solution – vital to meeting Europe’s net zero target at least cost. CCUS enables industrial decarbonisation as well as the production of clean power, clean products (such as cement and chemicals) and clean hydrogen – which can also be used to decarbonise industry. In addition, CCUS also enables greenhouse gas removal from the atmosphere through Direct Air Capture with Storage (DACS) or Bioenergy with CCS (BECCS).
The CCSA is the trade association accelerating the commercial deployment of CCUS, with offices in Brussels and London. We work with members, governments and other organisations to ensure CCUS is developed and deployed at the pace and scale necessary to meet net zero goals and deliver sustainable growth across regions and nations.
The CCSA currently has over 120 member companies who are active in exploring and developing different applications of carbon capture and removals, CO2 transportation by pipeline and ship, utilisation, geological storage, and other permanent storage solutions, end-users in the power, industry, waste management, fuels, and hydrogen production sectors, plus supply chain, engineering, construction and management, legal and financial consulting sectors.