The Port of Rotterdam Authority has unveiled the first large CO2 transport and storage system in the Netherlands, in collaboration with Porthos, EBN, and Gasunie.
The Porthos system is planned to be operational by 2026, with construction set to begin in Rotterdam in 2024.
The Porthos infrastructure will cost €1.3 billion ($1.37 billion) to build. Porthos will now award contracts to complete the project now that the final investment decision has been made.
Porthos will provide transport and storage services to several companies in the Port of Rotterdam, including Air Liquide, Air Products, ExxonMobil, and Shell.
Additionally, Porthos will transport the CO2 through the Port of Rotterdam to depleted gas fields in the North Sea, approximately 20 kilometres off the coast, where it will be permanently stored at a depth of 3 to 4 kilometres under the seabed.
READ: Port of Rotterdam CO2 emissions drop in 2022
Porthos plans to store about 2.5 metric tonnes per year for 15 years, totalling around 37 metric tonnes. With that, Porthos has contracted its full storage capacity. The onshore transport system under construction allows for future CO2 storage projects.
Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is a low-cost method of removing huge volumes of CO2 emissions from the environment in the near term.
As a result, it is a critical pillar of the Dutch government’s climate strategy. The Rotterdam port industry will soon release 10 per cent less CO2 as a result of Porthos. Simultaneously, the industry is attempting to move to procedures that use renewable energy and raw materials.
READ: Port of Rotterdam CO2 transport project set to commence
Porthos collaborates with TAQA Energy, the current operator of the P18 gas fields, as well as specialised contractors and suppliers such as Denys N.V., Allseas, LMR Drilling GmbH, Mannesmann Grossrohr GmbH, Corinth Pipeworks, Equans, Ensco Offshore, Van der Ven, and Bonatti, to implement the project.
They will deliver the necessary infrastructure together, under Porthos’ guidance.
Hans Meeuwsen, Director of Porthos, said: “CO2 storage is crucial if we want to achieve the climate goals in the Netherlands. This investment decision is an important starting point for future developments in CO2 storage in the Netherlands.”
Boudewijn Siemons, Interim CEO and COO of the Port of Rotterdam Authority, stated: “It is wonderful that Porthos can now start with the construction work in the port.
“The CO2 storage will reduce emissions from the companies in the port of Rotterdam by 10 per cent. Next to all our other efforts to start working with cleaner fuels, CO2 capture and storage is really necessary if we are to achieve a considerable reduction in CO2. With Porthos, we are taking the first big step.”
