UK

[Brussels, 16 June 2026] The Carbon Capture and Storage Association (CCSA)
welcomes the signing today of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between
Belgium and the UK under the London Protocol, marking a major step towards enabling
the cross-border transport and storage of CO₂ between the two countries.
The agreement forms a key part of the regulatory framework required to allow CO₂
captured from Belgian industry to be transported and permanently stored in UK carbon
storage sites. It reflects the complementary strengths of both countries: Belgium’s
industrial base and growing demand for CO₂ storage solutions, and the UK’s significant
offshore CO₂ storage capacity.

The CCSA has long been calling for this key milestone. Our 2024 study Accelerating a
Europe-wide CO2 Storage Market found that emitters in North-West European
countries, like Belgium, would benefit from reduced transport and storage costs of
more than 28% if a European-wide CO₂ storage market is opened up. For the UK, this
market could generate £2 billion annually by 2030, rising to £30 billion a year in taxable
UK revenue by 2050.

During the signing ceremony, Minister Verlinden, Minister for Justice and the North Sea, stated:
“Belgian industry is leading the way toward sustainability, even in sectors where CO₂
emissions are difficult to reduce. This Memorandum, implemented under the London
Protocol, is essential for enabling Carbon Capture and Storage cooperation between
Belgium and the United Kingdom. Within the European Union as well, we will continue
to work toward establishing rules to enable this cooperation between the European
Union and the United Kingdom.”

Lord Whitehead, Minister of State, DESNZ, added:
“This signing marks an important milestone as the first London Protocol
arrangement the UK has reached with another country. It will be a key step forwards in
ensuring CO₂ can be transported to UK storage sites from other countries. Our strong
UK-Belgium relationship will help to grow a carbon capture, usage and storage market
and provide growth opportunities either side of the channel.”

Olivia Powis, CEO, CCSA, said:
“This is a positive step towards making cross-border CO₂ transport and storage in
Europe a reality. Cross-border CO₂ transport is essential to cut emissions quickly and
effectively. Expanding the European CO₂ market, including the UK, will help lower both emissions and storage costs. Today’s signing shows CCUS is moving from plans to realworld delivery.”

Today’s agreement sends a strong signal to investors that Belgium and the UK are
committed to developing a Europe-wide CO₂ storage market. By supporting cost-effective infrastructure development and facilitating cross-border cooperation, this will help accelerate industrial decarbonisation across Europe.

Notes to Editor  
Interview requests: To interview Olivia Powis, CEO, CCSA, please contact francesco.dapolito@ccsassociation.org  

About the CCSA  
CCUS, or Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage, is a key low carbon solution – vital to meeting the EU’s climate targets. 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 Belgium and in the UK. 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.