Carbon Capture and Storage and the National Energy and Climate Plans

Scientific evidence has shown that deploying carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies will be critical if we are to achieve our climate goals. Efforts to accelerate deployment have increased in the EU over the past year, but challenges remain. As EU Member States revise their National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs), this process offers a valuable opportunity to address challenges associated with implementation – provided that Member States prioritise strategic planning. 

There are various aspects which need to be considered in order for carbon capture and storage to be successfully deployed at the scale needed. In particular, EU Member States should ensure better access to CO2 transport and storage infrastructure for decarbonising industries. Developing more widely distributed CO2 storage infrastructure can significantly reduce the cost of carbon capture and storage, especially through removing the need to transport CO2 across longer distances. 

This policy brief provides guidance to EU Member States on how they should approach the opportunity provided by carbon capture and storage as they draft and finalise their NECPs.