The companies describe it as the world\u2019s first commercial cross-border carbon-capture and storage chain. The 15-year agreement could store approximately 12 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, according to Yara<\/a>, the crop-nutrition company.<\/p>\n Frankly speaking, 1.5 degrees is now out of the window. We\u2019re moving to a world of 1.8 degrees. \u2014 Wopke Hoekstra, Climate Commissioner<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a first, and Europe can and will need many, many more of these,\u201d Mr Hoekstra said at Monday\u00b4s inauguration<\/a>. Referring to the UN findings, he added: \u201cFrankly speaking, 1.5 degrees is now out of the window. We\u2019re moving to a world of 1.8 degrees.\u201d<\/p>\n EU turns to carbon capture<\/p>\n The Paris Agreement aims to keep global warming well below 2\u00b0C and pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5\u00b0C above pre-industrial levels. However, the recent UN analysis<\/a> found that the lower threshold would be exceeded. Even its most optimistic scenario expects warming to peak at approximately 1.8\u00b0C before potentially declining.<\/p>\n The EU has committed to reducing net greenhouse-gas emissions by at least 55 per cent from 1990 levels by 2030 and reaching climate neutrality by 2050. Its latest national plans were projected to deliver a reduction of approximately 54 per cent<\/a>, leaving the bloc close to its interim target.<\/p>\n You might be interested<\/p>\n Carbon capture has consequently become a more prominent part of EU climate policy, particularly for industries that cannot easily replace fossil fuels with renewable electricity. Under the Net-Zero Industry Act, the bloc aims to develop at least 50 million tonnes of annual carbon-dioxide injection capacity by 2030<\/a>.<\/p>\n Europe cannot wait for renewable and other low-carbon energy sources to meet all industrial demand, Mr Hoekstra argued. \u201cThat is where carbon capture and storage (CCS) comes in,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Project connects climate and industrial policy<\/p>\n Fertiliser production is difficult to decarbonise because conventional ammonia relies on natural gas both as an energy source and a raw material. The production of the hydrogen needed for ammonia releases carbon dioxide, allowing some emissions to be captured before they enter the atmosphere. The facility will capture CO\u2082 equivalent to approximately 0.5 per cent of the Netherlands\u2019 2022 emissions each year.<\/p>\n Great to attend today, along with \ud83c\uddf3\ud83c\uddf4@jonasgahrstor, \ud83c\uddf3\ud83c\uddf1 @MinPres<\/a>, CEO Holsether, a major milestone for @yara<\/a>, for Sluiskil and the Zeeland region, and Europe as a whole: the launch of the EU\u2019s biggest CCS plant.<\/p>\n Yara will capture and liquefy up to 800,000 tons of CO2 per year. \ud83e\uddf5 https:\/\/t.co\/npU2D4Uvxi<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/WvKlTKcttC<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Wopke Hoekstra (@WBHoekstra) September 7, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Mr Hoekstra placed the project<\/a> within a wider effort to retain industrial production in Europe while reducing dependence on imported energy and fertilisers. Europe imports more than 80 per cent of its gas and more than 95 per cent of its oil, he said. Its fertiliser supply also remains partly dependent on Russia.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need fertilisers to be cheaper. We need them to be cleaner, and clearly we need them to be more European,\u201d he said. Carbon capture could help reduce emissions from fertiliser, cement, steel and chemical production without pushing those industries out of the bloc, he argued.<\/p>\n Costs and limitations remain<\/p>\n The facility captures carbon dioxide during ammonia production before it enters the atmosphere. It therefore reduces new emissions rather than removing carbon already present in the air. Under EU carbon-storage rules<\/a>, storage sites require permits, monitoring and an assessment showing no significant risk of leakage or harm to health and the environment.<\/p>\n We need fertilisers to be cheaper. We need them to be cleaner, and clearly we need them to be more European. \u2014 Wopke Hoekstra, Climate Commissioner<\/p>\n The economics also depend on public policy. Norway provided substantial public support during Northern Lights\u2019 first phase. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr St\u00f8re said the project could not have proceeded without it. Mr Hoekstra argued that predictable carbon prices under the EU Emissions Trading System were similarly important for companies considering long-term investments.<\/p>\n Sluiskil\u2019s planned annual capture represents 1.6 per cent of the EU\u2019s target of creating capacity to inject at least 50 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually by 2030. The project demonstrates how one country can capture emissions and transport them for permanent storage in another. Its wider contribution will depend on whether other industrial sites can secure sufficient transport infrastructure, permitted storage capacity and financing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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