The European Union has awarded funding to support the development of carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) in the Øresund region, backing a cross-border project aimed at accelerating renewable energy use and enabling the production of sustainable fuels.
The three-year project is supported by financing from the Interreg Øresund-Kattegat-Skagerrak program and will establish a Danish-Swedish collaboration platform focused on integrating CCUS into the regional energy system.
The initiative builds on a completed pre-project phase and brings together stakeholders in a planned Center of Excellence.
The project has a total budget of just over $1.4 million (€1.2 million), including an EU contribution of about $860,000 (€740,000). Work will focus on value chain synergies, market development, the establishment of a green CCUS corridor, policy coordination, international promotion of the Øresund region as a CCUS hub, and the development of financing and partnerships for future initiatives.
Captured biogenic carbon dioxide will be combined with green hydrogen and renewable energy to support the production of sustainable fuels for sectors such as shipping and aviation, according to the project partners.
Copenhagen Malmö Port is the lead partner through its innovation hub Ocean Valley. Other consortium members include E.ON Energy Infrastructure, Green2x, Nordion Energi, the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, Sustainable Business Hub Scandinavia, SYSAV, Öresundskraft, CLEAN and Copenhagen Capacity.
“With the EU funding, we can bring together stakeholders across borders and systematically move from isolated national initiatives to exploring how we can best support a coordinated, cross-border ecosystem for CCUS and renewable energy.
“The goal is to translate knowledge, strategies, and collaboration into concrete regional results that accelerate CCUS development in the region. The Center of Excellence can become the permanent collaboration platform that supports implementation and scalability in the long term,” said Kristoffer Møller Vendelbo, project manager for Ocean Valley.
The project is expected to strengthen Copenhagen Malmö Port’s role in CCUS and regional energy logistics, building on existing initiatives including the development of a carbon dioxide hub in Malmö and collaboration with Green2x on biomethane production.
“The project emphasizes that CMP and Ocean Valley, together with the project partners, play a strategic key role as a hub for regional CCUS logistics in the Øresund region. With our infrastructure, partner network, and strong maritime position, we can help realize a CCUS corridor in Øresund, reduce emissions, and support the supply of sustainable fuels for the future, which are in high demand.
“This is a strategic step for both CMP and the region - and a concrete contribution to Europe’s green transition,” added Barbara Scheel Agersnap, chief executive of Copenhagen Malmö Port.
