News / 19/10/2023

Operational in 2026

Investment decision made for €1.3 billion Porthos CCS project in The Netherlands

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Porthos has made the final investment decision. Construction of the first major CO2 transport and storage system in the Netherlands will start in Rotterdam in 2024. The Porthos system is expected to be operational in 2026. The Porthos infrastructure involves an investment amount of €1.3 billion.
Editorial office / Rotterdam

Now that the final investment decision has been made, Porthos will award the final contracts to the contractors who will realize the project.

Hans Meeuwsen, Porthos director: “CO2 storage is crucial if we want to achieve the climate goals in the Netherlands,” said Hans Meeuwsen, Porthos director. “This investment decision is an important starting point for future developments in CO2 storage in the Netherlands.”

Thanks to Porthos, the Rotterdam port industry will soon emit about 10% less CO2. At the same time, the industry is working on the transition to processes based on renewable energy and raw materials.

Storage under the North Sea

Porthos is a joint venture of EBN, Gasunie and the Port of Rotterdam Authority. Porthos provides transport and storage services for CO2 to a number of companies in the port of Rotterdam. The companies Air Liquide, Air Products, ExxonMobil and Shell will capture CO2 and supply it to Porthos. To this end, they will invest in capture installations themselves. Porthos will then transport the CO2 through the Port of Rotterdam to empty gas fields about 20 km off the coast. There the CO2 is permanently stored at 3 to 4 km under the North Sea floor. Porthos will store about 2.5 Mton per year for 15 years, to a total of about 37 Mton. With that, Porthos is sold out. The onshore transport system being constructed does provide space for future CO2 storage projects.

To realize the project, Porthos is working with TAQA Energy, the current operator of the P18 gas fields, and specialized 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. Together, they are responsible for the construction of the relevant infrastructure.

The European Union has recognized Porthos as an important project for meeting climate goals and has designated it as a Project of Common Interest and made €102 million in funding available for it.

Image above, ltr: Pierre Bartholomeus, Managing Director New Energy (Gasunie), Berte Simons, Business unit director CTOS (EBN), Jeroen Steens, Director Commercial Delivery (Port of Rotterdam).

Porthos