Feb 03, 2026 (MarketLine via COMTEX) --
CCS solutions and challenges will be a key topic at DECARBON 2026, which will be attended by some of the biggest names in oil and gas.
As Europe accelerates its industrial decarbonisation agenda, offshore carbon capture and storage (CCS) is moving from pilot initiatives to full-scale infrastructure development. The focus is shifting towards integrated transport and storage systems capable of handling millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) annually.
Several current projects illustrate how offshore CCS is being deployed across Europe using different technical and commercial models. From backbone pipeline networks to open-access storage hubs, the developments will be a key topic of discussion at the Oil and Gas Decarbonisation Congress (DECARBON) 2026, set to take place in VAsendorf, Austria on 9aEUR"10 February. Major representatives of upstream, midstream and downstream operations will meet at the congress to assess progress and remaining challenges.
Aramis CO2 pipeline and storage: building a backbone for Dutch industryThe Aramis project represents one of the most ambitious offshore CCS infrastructure developments in continental Europe.
Philip Cooper, project director at Petrofac, says: aEURoeThe project demonstrates the critical importance of integrated working, early supply chain engagement and effective technical interfaces across the CCS value chain, supported by a highly experienced and collaborative client organisation.aEUR
In late 2023, the Aramis consortium (comprised of TotalEnergies, Shell, Gasunie and EBN) awarded UK-based Petrofac a 12-month front-end engineering design (FEED) contract to develop the projectaEUR(TM)s CO2 transport and offshore storage system.
Petrofac has since led FEED for the 200km, 32in offshore CO2 pipeline, linking onshore compression facilities in the Port of Rotterdam to multiple depleted gas reservoirs in the Dutch North Sea, with a design capacity of 22 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) operating in dense phase. The work was delivered through a fully co-located joint team, enabling close integration across process design, flow assurance, control systems, safety concepts and materials selection along the entire CCS value chain.
Key engineering challenges addressed during the FEED phase included routing an onshore CO2 pipeline through a highly congested port environment, while meeting a stringent programme of standards and Royal Netherlands standardisation instituteArequirements, as well as developing a bespoke landfall and tunnelling solution using micro-tunnelling techniques. Offshore, PetrofacaEUR(TM)s scope covered complex pipeline routing and mechanical design in mobile seabed conditions, alongside stability, protection and buckling considerations, subsea tie-in provisions, platform structural and safety design, and enhanced pre-commissioning strategies.
Cooper will present the results of Petrofac's work at DECARBON 2026, where he will highlight the integrated, multidisciplinary approach required to deliver large-scale CCS infrastructure.
Petrofac continues to support the project as Aramis moves into the tender phase.
The Northern Lights project: open-access offshore CCS at industrial scaleNorwayaEUR(TM)s Northern Lights projectAhas become a global reference for open-access offshore CCS. Developed by Equinor, Shell and TotalEnergies, Northern Lights demonstrates a scalable, ship-based model that reduces entry barriers for CCS adoption, with Shell playing one of the key roles in developing and scaling its transport and storage infrastructure.
At the Northern Lights terminal, liquefied CO2 is delivered by ship and transferred into a series of storage tanks, before being pumped through a 110km subsea pipeline running through a fjord and into the North Sea. There, it is permanently stored in a deep saline aquifer beneath 330m of seawater and approximately 2,600m of seabed.
ShellaEUR(TM)s involvement supports the projectaEUR(TM)s flexible, ship-based model, which is designed to lower barriers for industrial emitters seeking access to offshore CO2 storage. From 2026, Northern Lights is set to receive CO2 from YaraaEUR(TM)s ammonia production facility in the Netherlands, as well as from biomass power plants operated by A~rsted. Additional volumes are expected from Hafslund CelsioaEUR(TM)s waste-to-heat plant in Norway later in the decade.
Under its second-phase expansion, the Northern Lights project will see transport and storage capacity scale to at least 5mtpa of CO2, with customers such as Stockholm Exergi already contracted. This positions the project at the centre of EuropeaEUR(TM)s emerging offshore CCS network.
Shell DeutschlandaEUR(TM)s Andreas Grobler, strategic partnership manager of energy transition Germany, will share the companyaEUR(TM)s CCS strategy at DECARBON 2026. He is expected to discuss projects including Northern Lights, the Deltra Rhine Corridor, Co2Next, Aramis and others.
APOLLOCO2: extending offshore CCS to the Eastern MediterraneanOffshore CCS development in Europe has traditionally been centred around the North Sea. However, the APOLLOCO2 project represents a move towards establishing large-scale CCS infrastructure in southern Europe. Led by Greek gas transmission operator DESFA, the project is being developed as an open-access CO2 transport and export network for Greece and the wider Eastern Mediterranean region.
In 2025, APOLLOCO2 secured ae169.3m ($201.9m) in funding from the EU Innovation Fund, positioning it as GreeceaEUR(TM)s first large-scale CCS midstream project and one of the most significant CCS transport initiatives currently under development in Europe.
DESFAaEUR(TM)s strategic planning senior director, Kleopatra Avraam, will present the results of APOLLOCO2 at DECARBON 2026 and share the companyaEUR(TM)s future plans.
A central element of the project is the development of a CO2 liquefaction, temporary storage and export terminal on Revithoussa Island, where DESFA plans to integrate CO2 liquefaction with the existing liquefied natural gas regasification terminal.
Recognised as a Project of Common Interest, APOLLOCO2 provides the missing midstream link in GreeceaEUR(TM)s emerging CCS value chain, connecting onshore capture projects with offshore geological storage sites such as the Prinos offshore field, while also enabling future cross-border CO2 flows across the Mediterranean.
To connect Greek industrial emitters to the liquefaction terminal, DESFA is also advancing plans for a CO2 pipeline of approximately 35km, designed to transport around 3mtpa of CO2 in its initial phase but with the potential to expand to manage up to 5mtpa by 2034. Together, these elements position APOLLOCO2 as a cornerstone project for extending offshore CCS beyond EuropeaEUR(TM)s northern core and anchoring a new CCS corridor in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Offshore CCS integration challenges to be addressed at DECARBON 2026Together, these projects show that offshore CCS in Europe is moving beyond isolated developments towards a coordinated, infrastructure-led system of pipelines, shipping routes and offshore storage hubs. The diversity of models now emerging reflects both the technical maturity of offshore CCS and the need for flexible approaches to accommodate different industrial clusters and regulatory environments.
As these systems scale up, their integration with broader oil and gas decarbonisation strategies becomes more important. Topics such as the coupling of CCS with low-carbon hydrogen production, alternative fuels and feedstocks, regulatory alignment, cost reduction and operational efficiency are shaping investment decisions across the sector.
These challenges promise to be at the centre of discussions at DECARBON 2026. The Congress gathers decision-makers and technical leaders from across the value chain to focus on accelerating deployment, reducing risks and moving towards commercially sustainable CCS systems.
Register here to attend DECARBON 2026.
http://www.datamonitor.com
Republication or redistribution, including by framing or similar means,
is expressly prohibited without prior written consent. Datamonitor shall
not be liable for errors or delays in the content, or for any actions
taken in reliance thereon
COMTEX_473013307/2227/2026-02-06T09:54:56
Copyright (C) 2026 Datamonitor. All rights reserved
