CO₂ transmission and geological storage chain

By 2029, this project aims to decarbonise the Dunkirk industrial port area, which accounts for around 20 percent of France’s industrial CO₂ emissions (more than 16 million tonnes). It will also help decarbonising further areas of France, which will be able to connect to this major infrastructure.

The development will consist in a 30 km onshore pipeline network developed by GRTgaz which will transport the CO₂ captured by industrial emitters to a compression station in Dunkirk. From here, the CO₂ will be transported by a large offshore CO₂ trunkline being developed by Equinor, which will take the CO₂ to safe and permanent storages under the seabed offshore Norway.

Equinor and GRTgaz, with their complementary skills, will cooperate in the development of their CO₂ transmission and storage infrastructures and associated services: network planning, technical design and industrial safety, interoperability, regulatory aspects and institutional relations. Feasibility studies are currently under way, with the aim of launching basic engineering studies at the end of 2024 and commissioning in 2029.

In France, this project is in line with the proposed government's strategy (France 2030) for the capture, use or permanent geological storage of carbon (CCUS) and with the desire to step up collaboration between France and Norway on green industrial transformation, in accordance with the strategic partnership signed between the two countries on 17 January 2024.

Capture and geological permanent storage of CO₂ is a decarbonisation solution that complements gains in energy efficiency and the development of renewable and low-carbon energies. CCUS (Carbon, Capture, Utilization, Storage) is one of the levers of the Net Zero Emission scenario of the International Energy Agency (IEA), which aims to capture 7.6 Gt of CO₂ every year from 2050. 

Sandrine Meunier, Chief Executive Officer of GRTgaz, said: "GRTgaz is developing dedicated transmission networks contributing to transport CO₂ from the French industrial sites where it is captured to storage and utilisation sites in France and Europe. Indeed, the capture, storage and utilisation of CO₂ will play a major role in decarbonising the national and European economy, and infrastructure is an essential element in this CO₂ value chain. We are proud to sign this partnership with Equinor and to share our respective and complementary expertise in order to provide France with an effective and competitive decarbonisation solution".

Grete Tveit, Senior vice president Low Carbon Solutions of Equinor, said: "For industries that cannot decarbonise directly through clean power, carbon capture and storage (CCS) offers a viable solution. By building CO₂ storage and transport solutions at an industrial scale together with GRTgaz we can help carbon-intensive industries in France to continue developing and maintaining jobs and value creation. Equinor has nearly 30 years of experience from CCS, and the geology under the seabed of the North Sea can store the CO₂ safely and permanently. With the expertise and capabilities of GRTgaz the value proposition that CCS offers becomes even stronger".