The Netherlands has inaugurated Europe’s largest carbon capture facility

Norwegian fertilizer producer Yara International inaugurated on Monday, in Sluiskil, in the province of Zeeland in the southern Netherlands, Europe’s largest carbon capture and storage (CCS) facility. The project is intended to reduce emissions from the fertilizer plant and transport the captured carbon dioxide to Norway.

Starting in 2026, the Yara Sluiskil facility will be able to capture and liquefy up to 800,000 tonnes of CO2 annually. The carbon will be transported by operator Northern Lights and stored at a depth of 2.6 kilometers beneath the seabed of the North Sea, on the Norwegian continental shelf.

Yara estimates that the project will remove approximately 12 million tonnes of CO2 over the next 15 years.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere described the facility as a scientifically advanced and commercially viable solution for reducing industrial emissions.

CCS technology is supported by the European Union in its strategy to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, particularly in industries where low-emission alternatives are limited.

However, projects have encountered delays due to costs, doubts about profitability, and opposition from activists.

Critics argue that this technology could allow companies to maintain oil and gas production while relying on capturing emissions in the future.