Environmental groups in Belgium are raising concerns over a proposed agreement with Norway that would enable cross-border transport and storage of captured carbon dioxide via pipeline, questioning both its cost implications and climate impact.<\/p>\n
Organizations including Greenpeace Belgium<\/a>, Canopea, and Bond Beter Leefmilieu have voiced opposition ahead of the deal\u2019s expected signing during a recent state visit to Norway. The agreement would formalize plans to ship CO2 captured from Belgian industry to offshore storage sites beneath the North Sea.<\/p>\n Belgium\u2019s decarbonization strategy relies in part on capturing emissions from hard-to-abate sectors such as cement and steel. With limited domestic storage capacity, policymakers are looking to export captured CO2 via pipeline infrastructure, potentially routing it through hubs such as Zeebrugge before transport to Norwegian reservoirs.<\/p>\n Concerns over costs and long-term viability<\/p>\n While Norway has decades of experience storing carbon dioxide offshore, critics argue that carbon capture and storage (CCS) remains an expensive and energy-intensive solution.\u00a0<\/p>\n Environmental groups contend that the technology addresses emissions at the point of release without tackling underlying dependence on fossil fuels.<\/p>\n They also point to uncertainties around long-term storage reliability, environmental risks, and limits on how much CO2 can be safely sequestered. In their view, these factors complicate the case for large-scale investment in cross-border transport infrastructure.<\/p>\n