The climate urgency hasn’t changed—but the tools, the strategies, and the willpower to act have strengthened. As we begin this new year, CCS is moving from the margins to the mainstream, and the European Energy Research Alliance’s Joint Programme on Carbon Capture and Storage (EERA CCS) is ready for what’s next.

The New CCS Landscape in Europe

In 2024, the European Commission launched its first-ever Industrial Carbon Management Strategy—a defining step in Europe’s climate and industrial policy. The goals are clear: by 2030, Europe needs to store at least 50 million tonnes of CO₂ per year, scaling to 280 million tonnes by 2040. These numbers are more than targets—they’re signals to industry, policymakers, and researchers that CCS is no longer optional. It’s foundational.

This strategy lays the groundwork for a European market for CO₂: better regulation, infrastructure investment, and cross-border planning. Crucially, it names CCS and CCU as “strategic net-zero technologies”—and assigns them the same priority as renewable energy and hydrogen. That matters.

2025: Planning Turns Into Progress

Last year showed that things are finally moving.

In Norway, the cement plant in Brevik became the first in Europe to capture CO₂ at scale and send it offshore for permanent storage—a full CCS chain in action. Across Europe, other projects followed suit. In total, ten major initiatives reached final investment decision, from Sweden to Belgium, Denmark to the Netherlands. Collectively, they’re proving the case for carbon capture in real industries, at real scale.

Meanwhile, governments filed their first national carbon management plans. Infrastructure hubs were mapped. EU-level funding instruments expanded. After years of strategy, we saw execution begin.

EERA JP CCS: Coordinated Science, Shared Voice

In the middle of all this stands EERA CCS.

We are a network of over 40 research organizations across 14 countries, pooling expertise to advance carbon capture technologies and connect national efforts. Our mission: support real-world deployment through research, coordination, and policy insight.

That means:

• Accelerating innovation in capture, storage, and transport.

• Bridging research and industry through collaboration.

• Supporting EU policy with science-based input.

• Fostering shared knowledge across borders.

We believe CCS isn’t just about pipelines and reservoirs—it’s about enabling industries to stay competitive and carbon-free. And we believe Europe does better when we work together.

The Road Ahead

2026 will be a year of delivery.

Projects that secured funding last year are breaking ground. More storage wells are being drilled. Regional hubs are moving from plans to pipes. The EU is building a more predictable framework for CCS, and the atmosphere across the community is shifting: less hesitation, more action.

At EERA CCS, we remain committed to supporting this momentum. We’ll continue to connect researchers, advise on policy, and amplify what’s working. Because this is our shared challenge—and our shared opportunity.

Let’s keep collaborating. Let’s keep building. Let’s make 2026 the year we scale up carbon capture in Europe.

EERA CCS is here. CCS is here. And the future is taking shape.