Why CCS? A Non-Negotiable for Decarbonization

Some industrial sectors, like cement and steel production, are notoriously difficult to decarbonize. Their emissions are inherent to their processes. As Carlos Abanades, a research professor at the Spanish Research Council and long-time member of EERA CCS, starkly puts it, the process emissions from cement production are "comparable to the emissions of the whole airplane industry" before COVID. He continues, stating that "to avoid that emission into the atmosphere, you can only do two things: to stop producing cement and lime - and that is impossible because it's really a commodity in any developed societies - or to put the CO2 back in the ground, there is no other option in that case."

CCS is not a standalone solution. It is part of a larger puzzle that can enable a sufficiently fast reduction of atmospheric CO2 emissions.

- Roland Span, Ruhr University in Bochum

This is where CCS becomes non-negotiable. It offers the only viable pathway to significantly reduce emissions from these "hard-to-abate" sectors. But the importance of CCS extends even further. As our members have consistently emphasized, CCS is also a powerful tool for achieving *negative emissions* – actively removing CO2 from the atmosphere – a crucial element in achieving the 1.5-degree target.

Roland Span, chair of thermodynamics at Ruhr University in Bochum and leader of our CO2 transport sub-programme, states that CCS is a "proven technology in the megaton per year range," highlighting that "the scale-up required to make it an effective mitigation technology is possible with available technology."

EERA CCS: A Unified Voice for European CCS Research

EERA CCS is more than just a network; it's a driving force for CCS innovation and deployment in Europe. We bring together over 40 leading research organizations from 14 European countries, representing a combined effort of 250 person-years annually. Our mission is to provide coherence, strategic leadership, and a unified voice for the European CCS research community.

Speaking with one voice is perhaps the biggest success of the joint program.

- Carlos Abanades, Spanish Research Council

This unified voice allows us to effectively advise the European Commission on research priorities, contribute to policy development, and foster collaboration across borders.

EERA CCS provides a network of excellent research partners, which makes the alignment of research efforts easier.

- Roland Span, Ruhr University in Bochum

This collaborative spirit is essential for tackling the systemic challenges of CCS deployment, from optimizing capture technologies to developing a Europe-wide CO2 transport infrastructure.

From Research to Reality: EERA CCS in Action

Our work spans the entire CCS value chain, from capture to transport to storage. "I am trying to understand when that storage capacity will be needed, where it will be needed, and how much of it will be needed," says Jonathan Pearce from the British Geological Survey, who leads our CO2 storage sub-programme. His work exemplifies our commitment to addressing the practical challenges of CCS deployment.

Ying Guo, from NORCE, highlights the importance of our collaborative research stating that "collectively, we are much stronger scientifically, we solve problems with different competences from different countries". Ying also touches on the fact that different countries may have different challenges, socially, politically, or technically and that working together helps us "learn from each other and we can elaborate our research more efficiently".

Our members are actively involved in groundbreaking research projects, pushing the boundaries of CCS technology. We're not just theorizing; we're translating research into real-world solutions, working closely with industry partners to demonstrate the viability of CCS at scale.

We need to make CCS faster, better, cheaper and for that you need R&D. The pace pays back.

- Jan Hopman, TNO

Jan Hopman of TNO, who is part of our management board and sub-programme lead for communications along with Filip Neele, also of TNO, work to make sure "that in the coming years we have the right technology base knowledge to make sure that CCS projects can move forward efficiently."

The Road Ahead: A Call for Accelerated Deployment

While we've made significant progress, the urgency of the climate crisis demands accelerated deployment of CCS. As Marie Bysveen, our coordinator, emphasizes, "We really, really need CCS technologies, because it’s strongly needed to decarbonize some of the hard-to-abate industrial sectors... In addition, you could also use CCS in order to produce hydrogen and to enable the hydrogen economy."

EERA CCS is committed to working with policymakers, industry leaders, and the wider research community to overcome the remaining barriers to CCS deployment. These include addressing regulatory hurdles, securing long-term funding, and building public trust through transparent communication.

Join Us on the Journey to Net-Zero

The journey to a net-zero future will require a concerted effort, leveraging the best minds and technologies available. EERA CCS stands at the forefront of this effort, driving innovation, fostering collaboration, and providing the scientific foundation for a sustainable future powered, in part, by CCS.

We invite you to explore our website, learn more about our work, and join us in shaping a cleaner, more sustainable future for Europe and the world. The time for CCS is now. Let's work together to make it happen.