The Nordic CCS Programme

Currently, the Nordic countries are at the forefront of European CCS development, as demonstrated by several national initiatives, including CO₂ exploration and storage licenses and national CCS subsidy schemes. However, the large-scale deployment of CCS technologies requires coordinated efforts, shared knowledge, and robust infrastructure. The Nordic CCS Programme supports the implementation of CCS in the region and develops collective Nordic knowledge and competencies related to CCS to inform policy and market developments.

In its communication on sustainable carbon cycles, the EU Commission anticipates industrial carbon removals through bio-CCS of 5 Mt CO2 per year by 2030. The Net Zero Industry Act has set a target of establishing 50 Mt CO2 per year injection capacity in the EU by 2030. Furthermore, in its recent communication on an EU climate target for 2040, the Commission anticipates a need for CCS resulting in reductions of approximately 250 Mt CO2 per year.

Given the current state and timelines, these ambitions are high. CCS will be essential and places the Nordic countries in a pivotal role in successfully achieving both national and European climate targets from 2030 to 2050.

The Nordic countries are therefore actively working to lead the green transition and demonstrate international leadership particularly regarding CCS. With the Nordic CCS Programme the work contributes to an even closer collaboration and work to realize the vision of the Nordic Region as the most integrated and sustainable region in the world.

The steering committee consisting of representatives from Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden will support the overall objective of the programme, which will be managed by a programme coordinator affiliated with the Danish Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities.

With the involvement of industry and stakeholders through workshops, the programme will gather the necessary knowledge in areas where deeper insight is required. The purpose is to create subprojects that will conduct technical, legal, market, and other types of analyses.

These subprojects and analytical frameworks will then be used to inform policy papers, declarations, non-papers, and similar outputs. The main focus is to contribute to the development of effective policy and legislation in the Nordic region to support the establishment of a CCS market.

At the Nordic Council of Ministers’ webpage, you will find descriptions of the programme alongside other programmes, and you will be able to explore the Nordic Council of Ministers’ priorities and objectives in greater detail.

 Read more about the council here