Denmark Launches Carbon Storage Operation in the North Sea

Denmark has initiated the ‘Greensand’ project to store carbon dioxide beneath the seabed of the North Sea. The energy group INEOS has introduced Greensand as the European Union’s first fully operational carbon dioxide storage site. In the project’s initial phase, 400,000 tons of carbon dioxide will be stored annually under the old Nini West oil platform.

October 18, Copenhagen (RASS/AFP) – Denmark has put into operation a facility for storing carbon dioxide beneath the seabed of the North Sea. INEOS CEO David Bucknall described Greensand as the European Union’s first fully operational carbon dioxide storage site. According to him, this will lay the groundwork for the expansion of such projects across Europe.

The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the International Energy Agency (IEA) have recognized CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage) technology as an effective method to reduce carbon emissions from industries like cement and steel. However, this technology is considered complex and costly. The Greensand storage site is located approximately 200 kilometers off Denmark’s west coast, beneath the old Nini West oil platform.

INEOS plans to expand capacity by 2030 to store between 4 million and 8 million tons of carbon dioxide annually. The carbon dioxide will primarily be collected from Denmark’s biomethane production centers, liquefied, and transported by ship from the Esbjerg port to the storage site. The European Union aims to develop an annual carbon dioxide storage capacity of at least 50 million tons by 2030 under its Net-Zero Industry Act. Earlier, Norway’s neighboring ‘Northern Lights’ project began storing carbon dioxide in seabed rock formations in August 2025.