The amount of CO2 in the atmosphere has never been as high as it is now. In 2020, with 54.1 Mt of CO2 (eq) emissions, Dutch industry accounted for approximately 32.5% of the total emissions of the Netherlands (166.4 Mt of CO2 (eq)), making it the largest polluter. This data is according to an initial estimate by Statistics Netherlands (CBS) and the RIVM/Emission Register for greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 and is in accordance with the IPCC guidelines. This data is published annually on the Pollutant Release and Transfer Register website. In particular, the steel, cement, waste processing, refining and petrochemicals industries and gas-fired power plants produce large quantities of CO2.
As part of the European Green Deal, the European Commission proposed in September 2020 to increase the target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, including emissions and removals, to at least 55% compared to 1990 (220.5 Mt of CO2). The European Commission has proposed this target in the 2030 Climate Target Plan. If we want to achieve this ambitious goal, we must implement measures in the short term capable of delivering a significant reduction in CO2. But what exactly are CCS solutions? And what makes them so accessible for industry?
Shortly summarised, CCS solutions entail capturing flue gases released during industrial processes in a capture system, whereby the CO2 is separated from other gases. The captured CO2 is dried in a subsequent process to prepare the remaining clean and dry CO2 for underground storage in either depleted oil and gas fields or old salt caverns. This technology significantly reduces a factory’s CO2 emissions while the necessary adjustments to the site, downtime of systems, and costs remain manageable. Carbon Capture and Storage is a temporary but easily accessible solution for at least the next 50 to 60 years and can be realised from design to completion in approximately two years, without large-scale factory modifications. CSS is therefore much cheaper than other options to reduce industrial CO2 emissions by double digits.