CCS in the Skagerrak/Kattegat-region - Assessment of an intraregional CCS infrastructure and legal framework

Paper i proceeding, 2011

This paper provides some initial results from the project "CCS in the Skagerrak/Kattegat-region" which is an intraregional CCS project partly funded by the EU. The project assesses the prospects for Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) from industry and power plants located in the Skagerrak region which comprises northern Denmark, south-east coast of Norway and the west coast of Sweden. The project is a joint cooperation between universities, research institutes and industries in the region. The methodology used in one of the project work packages is presented together with some initial results on legal aspects. CCS in the Skagerrak region may potentially account for a third of combined emission reduction commitments by 2020 in the three countries involved in the project. Yet, much of the emissions in the region occur from industry (in addition to power plants) and it is still not clear how these industries will be treated under the ETS. Based on current knowledge, a good storage option would be in the Hanstholm aquifer on Denmark's northwest coast. The phasing-in of capture plants over time is central to the development of a cost efficient CCS infrastructure. However, many of the sources in the region are located at a port facilitating use of boat transport through the build-up period. The initial legal analysis show that significant regulatory uncertainties exist in the region with regard to CCS and it is not obvious that the implementation of the EU CCS directive into national law by June 2011 will alleviate these uncertainties. Finally, the project may provide a significant test case for what type of political and regulatory cooperation that will be required if CCS is to be deployed in a transboundary context under conditions of sufficient public acceptance and well-designed regulation.