REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL on the progress towards reaching the Union-wide target for CO2 injection capacity
Date: 2026-05-28
Institutions: Directorate-General for Climate Action, European Commission
Subjects: administrative transparency, carbon capture and storage, carbon neutrality, climate change, energy transition, environmental policy, exchange of information, greenhouse gas, industrial infrastructure, single market

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 28.5.2026  COM(2026) 252 final  REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL on the progress towards reaching the Union-wide target for CO2 injection capacity  
 
 
Table of contents 

1 

2 

3 

Objective of this report .................................................................................................................... 2 

Background ...................................................................................................................................... 3 

Overview of demand and supply based on Member States' estimations ......................................... 5 

3.1 

3.2 

3.3 

National energy and climate plans .......................................................................................... 5 

2024 Member States reports under Article 21(2) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1735 .................. 6 

Transparency of storage capacity data under Article 21(1) ................................................... 10 

4 

Overview of planned CO2 storage projects .................................................................................... 12 

4.1 

4.2 

4.3 

Contribution under the 44 obligated entities’ plans ............................................................... 12 

Overview of existing permits and draft storage permits ....................................................... 16 

EU storage projects recognised as net-zero strategic projects............................................... 19 

5 

Support under EU and national funding programmes ................................................................... 20 

5.1 

5.2 

5.3 

5.4 

5.5 

Contribution of the Innovation Fund ..................................................................................... 20 

Contribution of the Connecting Europe Facility for Energy ................................................. 22 

Contribution of the Recovery and Resilience Facility .......................................................... 22 

Contribution of Horizon Europe ........................................................................................... 22 

Contribution from Member States ......................................................................................... 22 

6 

7 

State of play in 2025 and next steps ............................................................................................... 24 

Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 25 

1 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1  OBJECTIVE OF THIS REPORT 

The objective of this report is to monitor the progress towards reaching the European Union (EU) 
CO2 injection capacity referred to in Article 20 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1735 of the European 
Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  13  June  2024  on  establishing  a  framework  of  measures  for 
strengthening Europe’s net-zero technology manufacturing ecosystem.  

The report is based on:  

• 

• 

the 2024 annual Member States reports submitted pursuant to Article 21(2) of Regulation 
(EU) 2024/17351,2; and  
the  2025  plans  submitted  by  the  44  obligated  entities  pursuant  to  Article  23(4)  of 
Regulation (EU) 2024/1735.  

This report also takes into account additional information that contributes to the understanding of 
the emerging market of geological CO2 storage services in the EU, namely: 

• 
• 
• 

• 

the recently updated National Energy and Climate Plans3;  
the demand for EU funding from industry4;  
the  draft  storage  permits,  submitted  by  Member  States  under  Article  10  of  Directive 
2009/31/EC 5, and 
the implementation by Member States of Article 21(1) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1735 of 
their obligations: (i) to make publicly available data on all areas where CO2 storage sites 
could be permitted on their territory, publicly available; and (ii) to make publicly available 
on a non-reliance basis geological data relating to hydrocarbon production sites that have 
been  decommissioned  or  whose  decommissioning  has  been  notified  to  the  competent 
authority. 

It is important to note, however, that the assessment in this report only represents a snapshot based 
on the reporting provided by Member States and obligated entities, which has been incomplete. A 
more comprehensive picture will emerge over time as additional submissions are made in the run-
up to 2030. 

1 The 2025 annual Member States reports, which were due by 31 December 2025, are not included in this report.  
2 Website of the European Commission; Member States reports under Article 21 of the NZIA Regulation.  
3 Website of the European Commission; National energy and climate plans. 
4  Carbon  capture  and  storage  projects  are  eligible  for  support  under  the  Connecting  Europe  Facility,  the  Horizon 
Europe  programme,  the  Innovation  Fund,  the  LIFE  programme,  the  Modernisation  Fund,  and  the  Strategic 
Technologies for Europe Platform.  
5 Directive 2009/31/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009 on the geological storage of 
carbon  dioxide  and  amending  Council  Directive  85/337/EEC,  European  Parliament  and  Council  Directives 
2000/60/EC,  2001/80/EC,  2004/35/EC,  2006/12/EC,  2008/1/EC  and  Regulation  (EC)  No  1013/2006  (OJ  L  140, 
5.6.2009, p. 114, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2009/31/oj). 

2 

 
 
 
 
 
 
2  BACKGROUND  

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is one of the main decarbonisation technologies  available to 
industries with  hard-to-abate emissions  in  the  EU. The Communication  ‘Towards  an ambitious 
Industrial Carbon Management for the EU’ reiterated the key role of industrial carbon management 
into  mitigating  hard-to-abate emissions and  achieving negative emissions. The Communication 
also described the need for a comprehensive EU policy and investment framework for all aspects 
of industrial carbon management and sets out a vision for a single market for CO2 transport and 
storage services throughout Europe by 20306. 

The  Draghi  report  on  EU  competitiveness  emphasised  the  importance  of  a  technology-neutral 
approach to decarbonisation, pointed out the need for significant public and private investments, 
and  recommended  extending  acceleration  measures  and  emergency  regulation  for  CCS 
infrastructure7.  

The Clean Industrial Deal put forward concrete actions to turn decarbonisation into a driver of 
growth for European industries and sets out new measures to support the creation of a market for 
captured CO2, including voluntary labels on the carbon intensity of industrial products.  

The  EU  is  a  leader  both  in  CO2  capture  technologies  and  in  CCS  research,  development,  and 
innovation funding. In addition, the EU hosts the world’s leading company in high-value carbon 
industrial carbon management inventions8,9. The recognition of CO2 capture, transport, storage and 
utilisation  technologies  in  the  EU  as  a  net-zero  technologies10  will  support  the  deployment  of 
integrated CCS value chains and help reinforce this industrial leadership. 

A robust regulatory framework is under development to support the deployment of CCS in the EU. 
Directive  2009/31/EC  establishes  a  legal  framework  for  the  safe  geological  storage  of  CO2. 
Regulation (EU) 2024/1735 establishes an EU annual injection capacity target of at least 50 million 
tonnes of CO2 that is to be achieved by 2030 in storage sites, sets individual contributions to the 
EU annual injection capacity target, based on the entities’ share in the EU's crude oil and natural 
gas  production  from  1  January  2020  to  31  December  2023,  and  accelerates  and  facilitates 
administrative, permitting, and legal procedures for CCS projects contributing to the EU’s annual 
target11.  

The EU 2040 climate target impact assessment modelling  incorporates the EU annual injection 
capacity target and estimates that approximately 200 million tonnes per year of captured CO2 needs 

6 Communication ‘Towards an ambitious Industrial Carbon Management for the EU’ – COM(2024) 62 final. 
7 The future of European competitiveness – September 2024. 
8  Clean  Energy  Technology  Observatory:  Carbon  Capture, Utilisation  and  Storage  in  the  European  Union  –  2024 
Status  Report  on  Technology  Development,  Trends,  Value  Chains  and  Markets  –  European  Commission’s  Joint 
Research Centre. 
9 Commission Staff Working Document – Investment needs assessment and funding availabilities to strengthen EU's 
Net-Zero technology manufacturing capacity – SWD(2023) 68 final. 
10 Article 4 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1735. 
11 Article 20, Article 23, and Chapter II Section III of Regulation (EU) 2024/1735. 

3 

 
 
 
to be stored underground by 204012. The EU annual injection capacity target should contribute to 
the EU binding objective of climate neutrality by 205013,14. 

Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/1477 specifies the rules for the identification of the 
authorised oil and gas producers who are required to contribute to the EU annual injection capacity 
target15.  Commission  Decision  (EU)  2025/1479  lists  the  individual  contributions  of  the  44 
authorised oil and gas producers that must contribute to the target16.  

The EU CO2 storage service market is nascent but growing rapidly. The Porthos facility is expected 
to enter into operation in 2026 in the Netherlands with 2.5 million tonnes of CO2 injection capacity 
per year. The Greensand facility is  also expected to enter into operation  in 2026 with an initial 
injection capacity of 0.3 million tonnes of CO2 per year. The Ravenna  CCS project,  located in 
Italy, is already injecting approximately 25,000 tonnes of CO2 per year since 2024 at pilot scale 
and plans to enter into commercial operation by 2030. In the European Economic Area, two storage 
sites  located  in  Iceland  and  Norway  have  started  injecting  CO2  from  industrial  sources  at  a 
commercial scale in 202517.  

The  EU  is  also  supporting  the  development  of  storage  sites  through  several  EU  funding 
instruments, including the Connecting Europe Facility, Horizon Europe, the Innovation Fund, and 
the Recovery and Resilience Facility.  

12  Commission  Staff  Working  Document  Impact  Assessment  Report  Part  1  Accompanying  the  document 
Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social 
Committee and the Committee of the Regions. Securing our future. Europe’s 2040 climate target and path to climate 
neutrality by 2050 building a sustainable, just and prosperous society (SWD/2024/63 final). Table 6: Industrial carbon 
capture and use. 
13 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social 
Committee and the Committee of the Regions Securing our future Europe's 2040 climate target and path to climate 
neutrality by 2050 building a sustainable, just and prosperous society {COM(2024) 63 final} - {SEC(2024) 64 final} 
- {SWD(2024) 64 final}. 
14 Article 1 of Regulation (EU) 2021/1119 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 June 2021 establishing 
the framework for achieving climate neutrality and amending Regulations (EC) No 401/2009 and (EU) 2018/1999 
(‘European Climate Law’). 
15 Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/1477 of 21 May 2025 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2024/1735 of 
the European Parliament and of the Council by specifying the rules on the identification of authorised oil and gas 
producers who are required to contribute to the objective of reaching the Union target for available CO 2 injection 
capacity by 2030, on the calculation of their respective contributions, and on their reporting obligations. 
16 Commission Decision (EU) 2025/1479 of 22 May 2025 specifying the pro rata  contributions to the Union CO2 
injection capacity objective by 2030 from entities holding an authorisation as defined in Article 1, point 3, of Directive 
94/22/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council. 
17 The Silverstone and Northern Lights facilities, located respectively in Iceland and Norway, entered into operation 
and started injection in 2025. 

4 

 
 
 
 
 
3  OVERVIEW  OF  DEMAND  AND  SUPPLY  BASED  ON  MEMBER  STATES' 

ESTIMATIONS  

3.1  National energy and climate plans 

NECPs require Member States to make public the policies that will be implemented to achieve the 
2030 climate and energy targets. In 2022, the Commission encouraged Member States to integrate 
long-term geological storage of CO2 and the efforts planned to enable their industries to capture 
and store their inherent process emissions permanently in geological storage sites, in accordance 
with Directive 2009/31/EC, in their updated NECPs18. Member States were encouraged to provide 
the following information: 

• 

the annual aggregated projection of inherent process emissions that will have to be abated 
through CO2 capture; 
• 
the annual biogenic and direct air CO2 that will be available for geological storage of CO2; 
• 
the geological CO2 storage capacity that can be made operationally available annually; 
•  annual  CO2  storage  capacity  that  may  become  available  at  the  end  of  exploitation  of 

hydrocarbon reservoirs; 

•  planned CO2 transport infrastructure; 
•  public funding support available for investment in CO2 capture, transport and storage; and 
•  any  other  measures  to  support  the  deployment  of  long-term  geological  CO2  storage 

opportunities. 

The revised NECPs for the period 2021-2030 include information on the planned deployment of 
CCS in each Member State19. The Commission’s analysis of the revised NECPs indicates that a 
total of 35 million tonnes of CO2 could be captured annually in the EU by 2030 for permanent 
storage. Figures provided under the NECPs also indicate that 27.1 million tonnes of CO2 could be 
injected  annually  in  storage  sites  located  in  the  EU  by  2030.  This  suggests  that  there  will  be 
significant demand from industry for storage sites in the next years. The Commission also expects 
Member States to submit a growing number of draft storage permits under Article 10 of Directive 
2009/31/EC in the coming years. 

18 Commission Notice on the Guidance to Member States for the update of the 2021-2030 national energy and climate 
plans (2022/C 495/02). 
19 As of today, Poland has still not submitted an updated NECP. 

5 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 1 – Estimated CO2 capture and injection volumes in the EU under the national energy 
and climate plans (million tonnes per annum) 

3.2  2024 Member States reports under Article 21(2) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1735 

In addition to the NECPs, Article 21(2) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1735 requires Member States to 
submit every year to the Commission, a report describing: 

•  a mapping of CO2 capture projects in progress on its territory or in cooperation with other 
Member  States,  and  an  estimation  of  the  corresponding  needs  for  injection  and  storage 
capacities, and CO2 transport; 

•  a mapping of CO2 storage and CO2 transport projects in progress on its territory, including 
the status of permitting under Directive 2009/31/EC, expected dates for Final Investment 
Decision and entry into operation; 
the national support measures that have been or will be adopted to prompt projects as well 
as measures relating to the cross-border transport of CO2;  
the national strategy and targets that will be and have been set for the capture of CO2 by 
2030, where applicable; 

• 

• 

•  bilateral  and  regional  cooperation  that  facilitates  the  cross-border  transport  of  CO2, 
including  their  implications  for  the  access  of  entities  capturing  CO2  to  a  safe  and  non- 
discriminatory means of transporting CO2; and 

•  CO2 transport projects in progress and an estimation of the necessary future CO2 transport 

projects’ capacity to match the corresponding capture and storage capacity. 

Article  21(3)  of  Regulation  (EU)  2024/1735  further  provides  that,  if  a  Member  State’s  report 
shows that no CO2 storage projects are in progress on their territory, that Member State must report 
on  plans  to  facilitate  the  decarbonisation  of  industrial  sectors.  This  includes,  if  applicable,  the 

6 

 
 
 
 
cross-border  transport  of  CO2  to  storage  sites  located  in  other  Member  States  as  well  as  CO2 
utilisation projects. The 2024 reports can be found on the Commission’s website20.  

While, at the end of 2024, some Member States have not reported storage size or injection capacity, 
Table 1 provides an indication of the number of storage projects under development in the EU and 
their potential contribution to the EU injection capacity. Table 1 differentiates between the “storage 
size”, which is the estimated total CO2 storage capacity of a given storage site, and the “injection 
capacity”, which is the annual amount of CO2 that can be injected in an operational geological 
storage site permitted under Directive 2009/31/EC. When Member States reported only the names 
of storage projects, the Commission has added corresponding storage and injection figures. Table 
1  does  not  cover  the  geological  storage  potential  of  Member  States  and  focuses  on  projects 
recognised and reported by Member States.  

20 Website of the European Commission; Industrial Carbon Management; The EU's 2030 carbon storage target. 

7 

 
 
 
 
 
Table 1 - Summary of CO2 storage projects with a 2030 timeline as of 2024. 

Member States 

5 Member States reported storage 
figures  

Denmark 

Hungary 

Italy 

Romania 

The Netherlands 

6 Member States reported 
injection figures21  

Bulgaria 

Croatia 

Denmark 

France 

Greece 

Hungary 

Italy 

Romania 

Spain 

The Netherlands 

Number of 
projects 

Estimated total 
storage size (million 
tonnes of CO2) 

Estimated injection 
capacity (million 
tonnes of CO2 per 
annum) 

>980 

250> 

7.5 

500 

10 

212.5 

6 

1 

1 

1 

1 

2 

15 

1 

1 

4 

2 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

2 

33.12 

0.78 

0.74 

11.522 

- 

3 

0.5 

4 

0.6 

2 

10 

Table 1 indicates that, at the end of 2024, a total storage potential of around 1 gigatonne should be 
available by 2030 via different projects located in the EU. Annual injection capacity could reach 
33.12 million tonnes of CO2 per annum. Denmark and the Netherlands are currently expected to 
be  the  two  Member  States  with  the  highest  injection  capacity  by  2030,  followed  by  Italy  and 
Greece.  

21  Some  Member  States  did  not  report  injection  figures  directly.  When  specific  projects  were  mentioned,  known 
injection capacity figures were added. 
22  Denmark  did  not  report  injection  capacity  figures  and  provided  links  to  the  following  CO2  storage  projects: 
Greensand, Ruby, Greenstore, and Bifrost. 

8 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table  2  summarises  the total  capture  figures  reported  by  Member  States  and  provides  a  useful 
indication of the upcoming demand for injection capacity. 

Table 2 – Summary of CO2 capture projects with a 2030 storage timeline, as of 2024. 

Member States 

Estimated capture capacity per year (million 
tonnes of CO2 per annum) 

7 Member States reported capture figures 

20.4 – 20.7 

Bulgaria 

France 

Germany 

Greece 

Romania 

Sweden 

The Netherlands 

0.78 

1.4 

5.72 

3.25 

1.8 

3.965 

3.5 – 3.8 

By the end of 2024 Member States estimated that by 2030 CO2 capture capacity could amount to 
approximately  21  million  tonnes  per  year. This  aggregated  figure  is  lower  than  the  aggregated 
figure  from  revised  NECPs,  potentially  due  to  missing  capture  figures  from  several Article  21 
reports. Assuming  relevant  NECP  estimates  for  those  missing  figures,  the  total  EU  estimated 
capture figures from Member States could be above 32 million tonnes per year.  

This adjusted estimate indicates that, of the 50 million tonnes per annum EU objective in terms of 
injecting  capacity,  64%  could  be  used  by  projects  known  by  Member  States  if  transport 
infrastructure  is  made  available.  At  the  end  of  2025,  Member  States  had  to  update  of  their 
estimates, which will be included in the next Commission progress report.  

9 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.3  Transparency of storage capacity data under Article 21(1) 

Article  21(1)(a)  of  Regulation  (EU)  2024/1735  requires  that,  by  30  December  2024,  Member 
States had to make data on all areas where CO2 storage sites could be permitted on their territory 
publicly  available,  without  prejudice  to  requirements  regarding  the  protection  of  confidential 
information. This data allows investors to decide where to explore potential CO2 storage sites in 
the EU.  

Article  21(1)(b)  of  Regulation  (EU)  2024/1735  further  requires  that,  by  30  December  2024, 
Member States had to oblige entities which are or have been holders of an authorisation to explore, 
prospect or produce oil and gas on their territory, to make publicly available on a non-reliance 
basis:  (i)  geological  data  relating  to  production  sites  that  have  been  decommissioned  or  whose 
decommissioning was notified to the competent authority; and (ii) if available, and unless the entity 
has applied for an exploration permit, economic assessments of the respective costs of enabling 
CO2 injection. These economic assessments had to include data on the suitability of the site for 
sustainably,  safely  and  permanently  injecting  and  storing  CO2,  and  the  availability  or  need  for 
transport infrastructure and modes suitable for safely transporting CO2 to reach the site. 

The  implementation  of Article  21(1)(a)  and  21(1)(b)  of  Regulation  (EU)  2024/1735  has  been 
mixed.  

First, by 30 December 2024, in accordance with Article 21(1)(a), nine Member States stated how 
they  make  data  publicly  available  on  the  areas  where  CO2  storage  sites  could  be  permitted23. 
Second, geological data is publicly available and accessible in only five Member States24. Third, 
only three Member States25 demonstrated that they have a legal framework that obliges authorised 
oil and gas companies to publish relevant geological data as required under Article 21(1)(b). The 
Commission was unable to verify the compliance of 13 Member States due to missing notifications 
as regards Article 21(1)26. 

Six Member States27 reported that the development of such a legal framework is in progress and 
show that, to date, their national rules on the mandatory publication of relevant information are 
still incomplete or that some gaps still exist in existing provisions to apply Article 21(1)(b). Five 
Member  States  have  provided  limited  evidence  regarding  the  existence  of  a  legal  framework 
enforcing Article 21(1)(b), with missing data about mandatory public provision requirements28. 
For 12 Member States29 there is no legal framework mandating the public provision of geological 
data. 

23 Belgium (Flanders region), Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Sweden and Romania. 
24 Denmark, France, Hungary, Spain, and the Netherlands. 
25 Denmark, Germany, and Italy. 
26 Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Slovenia, 
and Slovakia. 
27 Belgium, France, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, and the Netherlands. 
28 Czechia, Estonia, Finland, Greece, and Lithuania. 
29 Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden. 

10 

 
 
 
The Commission therefore calls upon the relevant Member States to fulfil their obligations under 
Article 21(1) and to notify the relevant information to the Commission as soon as possible. The 
Commission is launching a European investment atlas of potential CO2 storage sites in 2026. This 
atlas  will  rely,  among  others,  on  data  supplied  by  Member  States  and  obligated  entities  under 
Article 21. 

11 

 
 
 
 
4  OVERVIEW OF PLANNED CO2 STORAGE PROJECTS  

4.1  Contribution under the 44 obligated entities’ plans 

Regulation (EU) 2024/1735 requires the 44 obligated entities to contribute the EU annual injection 
capacity target of 50 million tonnes to ensure that “CCS as a climate solution is available ahead 
of demand”30. Article 3(28) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1735 defines ‘CO2 injection capacity’ as the 
annual amount of CO2 that can be injected in an operational geological storage site. Article 23(1) 
provides that the injection capacity contribution shall consist of CO2 injection capacity in a storage 
site permitted in accordance with Directive 2009/31/EC and made available to the market by 2030.  

At the latest by the end of 2030 obligated entities must demonstrate their contribution to the Union-
wide target for CO2 injection capacity by reporting to the Commission and the public that they 
have  been  awarded  a  CO2  storage  permit  in  accordance  with  Directive  2009/31/EC  in  the  EU 
which  allows  the  injection  of  the  relevant  amounts  of  captured  CO2  for  at  least  five  years,  as 
defined in Article 20(2) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1735. The entities must also demonstrate that 
this CO2 injection capacity is available to the market, which can be done by reporting at least one 
storage service agreement with an emitter that wants to use the capacity. Any such contributions 
can be developed, alone, in cooperation or via agreements with non-obligated storage developers, 
in accordance with Article 23(5) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1735. 

Article 23(4) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1735 requires the 44 obligated entities to submit a plan by 
30  June  2025  to  specify  in  detail  how  they  intend  to  meet  their  contribution  to  the  EU  annual 
injection capacity. Those plans had to confirm the obligated entities’ contribution and specify the 
means and milestones for reaching these contributions.  

30  Recital  43:  “By  defining  CO2  storage  sites  and  any  related  CO2  capture  and  CO2  infrastructure  projects  that 
contribute  to  the  Union’s 2030  target as  net-zero  strategic  projects,  the development  of  CO2  storage  sites  can be 
accelerated and facilitated, and the increasing industrial demand for storage sites can be channelled towards the 
most-cost-effective storage sites. An increasing volume of depleting gas and oil fields that could be converted into safe 
CO2 storage sites are at the end of their useful production lifetime. In addition, the oil and gas industry has affirmed 
its determination to embark on an energy transition and possesses the assets, skills and knowledge needed to explore 
and develop additional storage sites. To reach the Union’s target of 50 million tonnes of annual operational  CO2 
injection  capacity  by  2030,  the  sector  needs  to  pool  its  contributions  to  ensure  that  CCS  as  a  climate  solution  is 
available ahead of demand. In order to ensure a timely, Union-wide and cost-effective development of CO2 storage 
sites in line with the Union objective for injection capacity, licensees of oil and gas production in the Union should 
contribute to that target on a pro rata basis of their oil and gas manufacturing capacity, while providing flexibilities 
to cooperate and take into account other contributions of third parties. A value-chain approach should be fostered by 
actions taken both at Union and national level. Accordingly, licensees of oil and gas production in the Union should 
undertake the necessary investments and support the development of viable business models for the entire carbon 
dioxide value chain.” 

12 

 
 
 
 
 
All 44 obligated entities have submitted their plans and consider them confidential. Based on these 
plans submitted in 2025 so far:  

(1) only 16 of the 44 obligated entities have confirmed their contribution to the EU target 
in terms of their assigned volume of annual CO2 injection capacity to be made available to 
the market by 2030; 

(2) none of the 44 obligated entities has confirmed their contribution to the EU target in 
terms of total CO2 storage capacity31 to be made available to the market by 2030; 

(3)  only  25  of  the  44  obligated  entities  have  specified  in  their  plans  the  means  and 
milestones for reaching the targeted volume.  

The plans’ means and milestones differ in terms of content and details but can be categorised as 
follows: 

Figure 2 – Type of information included in means and milestones 

19

14

9

9

6

s
e
i
t
i
t
n
e

d
e
t
a
g
i
l
b
o

f
o

s
r
e
b
m
u
N

20

18

16

14

12

10

8

6

4

2

0

Outline previously
conducted
project/actions

Outline when CO2
injection and/or
storage is aimed to be
operational

Outline the individual
steps/actions to take

Include milestones
extending beyond
2030

Specified CO2 volume
or capacity per
site/location or
implementation phase

Among the storage sites mentioned in the plans of the 44 obligated entities, 14 sites are mentioned 
in several plans, the majority of which are located in  the Netherlands (five sites) and Denmark 
(four sites). Five obligated entities refer to storage sites located outside the EU that cannot be used 
to demonstrate compliance with Regulation (EU) 2024/1735.  

31  Article  20(2)  of  Regulation  (EU)  2024/1735  provides  that  all  storage  sites  shall  be  designed  to  operate  for  a 
minimum of five years.  

13 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The plans of 19 of the 44 obligated entities state the intention of the entities to meet their individual 
contribution to the EU annual injection capacity by entering into agreements with other entities, 
out of which eight also specified the corresponding entity. 

14 

 
 
 
Table 3 – Maximum estimated injection capacity available by 2030 as mentioned in the obligated 
entities’ plans 

Location of the 
storage site  

Maximum injection 
capacity (in million 
tonnes of CO2 per year) 

Denmark 

Greece 

Hungary 

Italy 

The Netherlands 

TOTAL 

11 

3 

1 

4 

10 

29 

26 obligated entities have referred to potential or existing EU storage sites that they would use to 
fulfil their injection capacity contribution. The sum of these storage projects would amount to a 
maximum injection capacity of 29 million tonnes of CO2 per year by 2030.  

The sum of the storage projects indicates that 58% of the EU annual injection capacity could be 
made available to industrial emitters. Storage projects that are located in the EU, contribute to the 
EU annual injection capacity target and have applied for a storage permit are net-zero strategic 
projects,  together  with  the associated capture and storage projects, and should  be supported by 
Member States in line with Articles 13, 15, and 16 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1735. 

In their plans, seven obligated entities identify areas where new storage sites could be developed. 
However, injection capacity figures were not provided for all those new sites. Therefore, based on 
the plans provided to date, it is still premature to assess whether there will be sufficient storage 
sites to meet the EU annual injection capacity target in 2030.  

Article  23(6)  of  Regulation  (EU)  2024/1735  requires  that,  from  30  June  2026  and  every  year 
thereafter, the 44 obligated entities submit an annual progress report to the Commission detailing 
their progress towards meeting their contribution. The Commission shall publish these reports.  

15 

 
 
 
Article 5 of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/1477 further specifies that the reports 
must  contain  at  least  a  standard  minimum  set  of  information  on  CO2  storage  projects  under 
development by the obligated entities in as much detail as possible at the state of development. 
This includes the location of the relevant CO2 storage sites, the expected total storage capacity, the 
expected  annual  injection  capacity  and  the  planned  modes  of  CO2  transportation  and  related 
transportation infrastructure that will be needed to operate the site. The reports must also provide 
contact  information  for  potential  storage  customers  and  include  a  detailed  roadmap  of  the  key 
technical  and  commercial  readiness  milestones  and  decision  points,  as  well  as  the  risks, 
uncertainties and mitigation strategies that potential commercial customers would need to know 
to advance their investment decisions. 

4.2  Overview of existing permits and draft storage permits  

Pursuant to Article 6(1) of Directive 2009/31/EC, Member States must ensure that no storage site 
is operated without a storage permit. Pursuant to Article 10(1) of Directive 2009/31/EC, Member 
States must also make the permit applications available to the Commission within one month after 
receipt  and  inform  the  Commission  of  all  draft  storage  permits.  These  provisions  allow  the 
Commission  to  estimate  the  expected  injection  capacity  of  storage  sites  applying  for  a  storage 
permit. This overview is based on issued storage permits and permit applications made available 
to the Commission by the end of February 2026. 

As  of  March  2026,  three  CO2  storage  sites  were  permitted  in  the  EU:  the  Porthos  site  in  the 
Netherlands, the Greensand site in Denmark, and the Prinos site in Greece. These facilities have a 
combined estimated injection capacity of 3.54 million tonnes of CO2 per year, as summarised in 
Table 4 below. 

16 

 
 
 
 
 
Table 4 – CO2 storage sites permitted in the EU as of March 2026. 

Storage site 

Member State 

Expected entry into 
operation 

Estimated injection 
capacity (in million 
tonnes of CO2 per 
year) 

Nini West  

Denmark 

2026 

Prinos 

Greece 

2026-202733 

P18-2 and P18-4  

The Netherlands 

202635 

0.332 

0.7434 

2.536 

3.54 

Table 5 lists CO2 storage projects that have submitted a storage permit application to a national 
competent authority in the EU. Expected injection capacity figures have been calculated by the 
Commission and do not reflect the injection capacity potential for each storage site. In particular, 
some  figures  include  a  maximum  average  injection  capacity,  based  on  the  maximum  storage 
volume  divided  by  the  injection  period  mentioned  in  the  draft  permit. The  maximum  injection 
capacity for a given site must be specified in the storage permit37 and could increase for several 
storage sites if capacity is expanded and permits are amended.  

EU storage projects, with a submitted permit application, could provide 15.6 million tonnes of CO2 
in injection capacity, as summarised in Table 5 below. 

32 Website of the Danish Energy Agency – Publications, news and analysis on CCS – Decision on approval of storage 
plan and permission to store carbon dioxide at Nini A (Nini West) offshore Denmark, Licence C2023/01. 
33 Website of Energean – Prinos CO2. 
34 Based on the maximum storage volume divided by the injection period mentioned in the draft storage permit. The 
Prinos project plans to have two phases with 1 million tonnes per year in maximum injection capacity in the first phase 
and 3 million tonnes per year in the second phase. The permit covers Phase 1, which explains the discrepancy with 
Greece’s foreseen injection capacity mentioned under Table 1. 
35 Website of the Porthos project.  
36 Website of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency – Porthos storage permit. 
37  Article  9(3)  of  Directive  2009/31/EC  states  that  the  permit  shall  contain  at  least  “the  requirements  for  storage 
operation,  the  total  quantity  of  CO2  authorised  to  be  geologically  stored,  the  reservoir  pressure  limits,  and  the 
maximum injection rates and pressures”. 

17 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table 5 – Storage sites for which a storage permit application has been submitted. 

Storage site 
applying for a 
permit  

Nini Main and 
East  

Member State 

Expected year of entry 
into operation 

Estimated injection 
capacity (in million tonnes 
of CO2 per year) 

Denmark 

202938 

Ravenna  

Italy 

L04-A 

The Netherlands 

203040 

202942 

L09-FF 

The Netherlands 

around 203144 

L10-ALBE 

The Netherlands 

K14-FAFC 

The Netherlands 

Q16-FA  

The Netherlands 

203046 

202748 

203050 

0.8639 

3.8541 

1.643 

2.745 

3.8447 

1.749 

1.0351 

15.6 

38 As mentioned in the storage permit application. 
39 Based on the maximum storage volume and the injection period mentioned in the storage permit application. 
40 As mentioned in the storage permit application. 
41 Based on the maximum storage volume and the injection period mentioned in the storage permit application.  
42 As mentioned in the storage permit application. 
43 Based on the maximum storage volume and maximum period of injection mentioned in the draft storage permit. 
44 As mentioned in the storage permit application. 
45 Based on the maximum storage volume and the injection period mentioned in the storage permit application. 
46 As mentioned in the storage permit application. 
47 Based on the maximum storage volume and the injection period mentioned in the storage permit application.  
48 As mentioned in the storage permit application. 
49 Based on the maximum storage volume divided by the injection period mentioned in the draft permit. 
50 Website of ONE-Dyas – CO2 Storage. 
51 Based on the maximum storage volume and the injection period mentioned in the storage permit application.  

18 

 
 
 
 
 
4.3  EU storage projects recognised as net-zero strategic projects  

Article 13(3) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1735 provides that “Member States shall recognise as net-
zero strategic projects CO2 storage projects that meet all of the following criteria:  

(a) the CO2 storage site is located in the territory of the Union, its exclusive economic zones or on 
its continental shelf within the meaning of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 
(UNCLOS);  

(b) the CO2 storage project contributes to reaching the objective set out in Article 20;  

(c) the CO2 storage project has applied for a permit for the safe and permanent geological storage 
of CO2, in accordance with Directive 2009/31/EC 

Any CO2 capture project related to a CO2 storage project that fulfils the criteria referred to in the 
first  subparagraph,  and  any  related  CO2  infrastructure  project  necessary  for  the  transport  of 
captured CO2 shall also be recognised as a net-zero strategic project”.  

As of February 2026, Member States have recognised the following CO2 storage projects as net-
zero strategic projects: 

•  ACCSION project’s storage site (Denmark) 
•  ANRAV-CCUS storage site (Bulgaria) 
•  Potential storage site under the CO2 Hub Northern Denmark (Denmark) 
•  CO2 Storage Kalundborg (Denmark) 
•  Greenstore storage site (Denmark) 
•  P18-2 and P8-4 storage sites (The Netherlands) 
•  K14, L04-A, and L10 storage sites (The Netherlands). 

This list does not include all storage projects in the EU expected to contribute to the EU annual 
injection capacity target. Member States should urgently recognise net-zero strategic projects to 
accelerate the pace of project deployment and achieve the EU annual injection capacity target. 

19 

 
 
 
 
 
 
5  SUPPORT UNDER EU AND NATIONAL FUNDING PROGRAMMES 

5.1  Contribution of the Innovation Fund  

As  of  March  2026,  the  Innovation  Fund  supports  60  CO2  capture,  transport,  and  storage  or 
utilisation projects with approximately €6.65 billion in grant funding committed. CO2 injection 
capacity is directly funded by €630 million in grant funding to six CO2 storage and full chain CCS 
projects with an expected entry into operation by 203052. These projects, listed under Table 6, are 
expected to provide approximately 7 million tonnes in CO2 injection capacity or 20 % of the EU 
annual injection capacity target. 

33 CO2 capture projects funded under the Innovation Fund portfolio should require 25.3 million 
tonnes of CO2 per year in injection capacity in storage sites or 50% of the demand for the EU 
annual  injection  capacity  target.  Since  2020,  more  than  100  CO2  capture  projects  in  total  have 
applied for support from the Innovation Fund. Under those projects, more than 80 million tonnes 
per year would be captured for permanent storage in the EU.  

52 These include projects with signed grants and projects invited to grant agreement preparation. Six full chain CCS 
and CO2 storage Innovation Fund projects should directly contribute to the development of storage sites in the EU by 
2030:  ANRAV-CCUS,  Danube  Removals,  Greensand  Future,  HuCCSar,  LaunchStores,  and  TarraCO2-Storage. A 
description of Innovation Fund projects can be found on the Commission’s website. 

20 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table 6 – Projects selected under the Innovation Fund (including pilot projects and projects invited 
to  grant  agreement  preparation)  and  contributing  to  the  EU  annual  injection  capacity  target 
through the direct funding of storage facilities. 

Project 

Member State 

Expected year of entry 
into operation 

Estimated injection 
capacity (in million 
tonnes of CO2 per year) 

ANRAV-CCUS 

Bulgaria 

Danube Removals 

Hungary 

Greensand Future 

Denmark 

HuCCSar 

Poland 

LaunchStores 

The Netherlands 

TarraCO2-Storage 

Spain 

2028 

2027 

2025 

2028 

2029 

2030 

0.78 

0.57  

0.3  

0.005 

3.353  

2 

7 

53 Website of the LaunchStores project. The LaunchStores covers two offshore CO2 storage sites: L04-A and K14-
FAFC. This figure amounts to the maximum storage volume divided by the injection period mentioned in the L04-A 
and K14-FAFC draft storage permits (see Table 5). The project is planned for a maximum injection capacity of 5 
million tonnes of CO2 per year and an average injection capacity of 3.3 million tonnes of CO2 per year. 

21 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
5.2  Contribution of the Connecting Europe Facility for Energy  

Between  2014  and  2024,  CO2  network  projects  requested  approximately  €2.7  billion  in  total 
funding under Connecting Europe Facility for Energy calls. The total amount of funding dedicated 
to  projects, for studies or deployment  works,  with  a signed grant  agreement  in  this period  was 
more than €974 million over 20 CO2 transport and storage infrastructure projects.  

•  Under the 2021 call, projects applied for €10.6 million and were awarded €4.2 million.  
•  Under the 2022 call, projects applied for a total of €355 million and were awarded €159 

million.  

•  Under the 2023 call, projects applied for a total of €941 million and were awarded €480 

million.  

•  Under  the  2024  call,  projects  applied  for  a  total  of  €1.1  billion  and  were  awarded 

approximately €250 million.  

5.3  Contribution of the Recovery and Resilience Facility  

The  Recovery  and  Resilience  Facility  will  support  the  first  phase  of  the  Prinos  storage  project 
located in northern Greece. This programme will therefore contribute to the achievement of the 
EU annual injection capacity target. 

5.4  Contribution of Horizon Europe  

The Horizon Europe programme Cluster 5 on Climate, Energy and Mobility funded 11 industrial 
carbon management projects between 2021 and 2024 for a total amount of €141.5 million. Cluster 
5 intends, through its Work Programmes for 2025 and 2026-2027, to fund 20 industrial carbon 
management projects with €126 million. 

5.5  Contribution from Member States  

Member States funding plays an essential role in ensuring the financial viability of CCS projects. 
Member  States  funding  represented  14%  of  the  share  of  public  RD&I  investment  in  CCUS 
technologies in the OECD for the 2014-2024 period54. Three examples illustrate the importance of 
Member States support for CCS deployment. 

Denmark  is  supporting  CCS  deployment  via  three  funding  programmes:  the  CCUS  Fund  (8.6 
billion  Danish  kroner  (DKK)  or  €1.15  billion55),  the  NECCS  Fund  (2.6  billion  DKK  or  €348 

54 Clean Energy Technology Observatory: Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage in the European Union – 2024 
Status Report on Technology Development, Trends, Value Chains and Markets – European Commission’s Joint 
Research Centre. 
55 European Central Bank; Home; Statistics; EUR/DKK exchange rate as of 26 November 2025. 

22 

 
 
 
 
 
 
million), and the  CCS Fund (26.8 billion DKK or €3.7 billion) for a total  funding envelope of 
approximately 38 billion DKK or €5.1 billion. 

In France, the main funding programme to support CCS projects is the ‘Appel d’offres - Grands 
Projets  Industriels  de  Décarbonation’  open  to  very  large  industrial  decarbonisation  projects  for 
plants operating under the EU ETS56. The programme is open to other technologies than CCS and 
has a total budget of €1 billion. 

In  the  Netherlands,  the  SDE++  subsidy  programme  supports  CCS  projects.  Maximum  funding 
available between 2020 and 2023 was €2.1 billion in 2020, €6.7 billion in 2021, and €2 billion in 
2023 for CCS projects. These figures represent the maximum amount of subsidy that CCS projects 
can receive over a period of 15 years. Actual funding depends on the difference between the cost 
of the projects and the EU ETS price and is expected to be lower. 

56 France’s Ministry of Economics and Finance; Accueil ; Espace entreprises ; Appels à projets et à manifestations 
d’intérêt Grands projets industriels de décarbonation 2024. 

23 

 
 
 
 
 
6  STATE OF PLAY IN 2025 AND NEXT STEPS 

In  summary,  more  than  20  CO2  storage  projects  are  currently  under  development  in  the  EU. 
Storage permits were already issued for the  Greensand site in Denmark, the Porthos site in the 
Netherlands, and the Prinos site in Greece. Seven additional CO2 storage projects are applying for 
a storage permit in the EU. In total, these sites could contribute more than 19 million tonnes per 
year in CO2 injection capacity. More projects are expected to apply for storage permits in the next 
years. 

Revised NECPs indicated that known CO2 capture projects in Member States could amount to at 
least 35 million tonnes of CO2 per year by 2030 with a total injection capacity of 27.1 million 
tonnes of CO2 per year by 2030. In 2024, Member States Article 21 reports reported higher figures. 
These reports showed that up to 33.1 million tonnes of CO2 per year in injection capacity could 
be developed by storage projects in the EU by 2030.  

The  aggregated  injection  capacity  figures  of  storage  projects  described  in  the  plans  of  the  44 
obligated entities in June 2025 amount to maximum 29 million tonnes in CO2 injection capacity.  

This potential demand comes supported by the Innovation Fund with 25.3 million tonnes per year 
in captured CO2. However, since 2020, more than 100 individual CO2 capture projects located in 
the EEA have applied for the Innovation Fund without being selected. Together those additional 
projects would represent capture volumes of more than 80 million tonnes of CO2 per year and 
would require corresponding injection capacity. The development of CO2 storage projects in the 
EU must accelerate to meet demand from industrial emitters and reach the EU annual injection 
capacity target.  

Any CO2 storage project located in the EU and contributing to the EU annual injection capacity 
target  –  together  with  related  CO2  capture  and  related  CO2  transport  infrastructure  –  must  be 
recognised by Member States as net-zero strategic projects under Article 13(3) of Regulation (EU) 
2024/1735. Industrial emitters that are considering using CCS as a decarbonisation pathway should 
inform their national authorities, so that their injection capacity demand can be included in the 
annual Member States reports. Once recognised as net-zero strategic project, those projects must 
receive  the  status  of  the  highest  national  significance  possible  under  and  must  be  treated 
accordingly  in  the  permit-granting  processes.  The  permit-granting  process  shall  not  exceed  18 
months for all necessary permits to operate a storage site in accordance with Directive 2009/31/EC, 
under Article 16 of Regulation EU 2024/1735.  

Article  6(7)  of  Regulation  2024/1735  requires  that  Member  States  must  provide  all  competent 
authorities and single points of contacts with sufficient human, financial and technical resources 
to ensure streamlined permit-granting processes for carbon capture and storage projects.  

24 

 
 
 
 
7  CONCLUSION 

Many CO2 storage projects are making fast progress across the EU and are expected to contribute 
to reaching the EU annual injection capacity target. Storage capacity is expected to increase rapidly 
in the next months and years. Significant work is still required from all actors, in particular from 
the 44 obligated entities, to achieve the EU annual injection capacity target. This target is both 
realistic and ambitious. It can be met if storage projects are developed at an efficient pace. 

Most of the planned storage sites are still concentrated around the North Sea area, while a number 
of Member States in Southern and Eastern Europe are looking to develop both CO2 capture and 
CO2 storage sites. Plans sent by the 44 obligated entities do not yet detail new injection capacity 
figures associated with new storage sites. For industries and investors, it is crucial that reporting 
by Member States and from the obligated entities is improved to get a better picture and to support 
investments in CO2 capture capacity and CO2 transport infrastructure. From June 2026 onwards, 
Article 23(6) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1735 will require the 44 obligated entities to annually report 
progress towards their contribution to the Commission. These reports will have to describe, in as 
much detail as possible, the state of development of the storage sites and will be made public by 
the Commission. 

By  June  2026,  Member  States  must  lay  down  effective,  proportionate  and  dissuasive  penalties 
applicable to infringements by the 44 obligated entities regarding their obligations to contribute to 
the EU annual injection capacity target, under Article 23(13) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1735. These 
penalties will incentivise the 44 obligated entities to develop new CO2 storage projects in the EU 
and to complement the existing project pipeline. The mandatory contribution and reporting of those 
44 obligated entities will provide industries with a transparent trajectory of planned CO2 storage 
and  injection  capacity  supply  and  inform  decisions  on  the  use  of  carbon  capture  and  storage. 
Additional measures at national level, such as industrial decarbonisation funding schemes, will be 
needed to support further the development of storage site projects and contribute to achieving the 
EU annual injection capacity target.  

By 30 June 2027, the Commission will report the progress in Member States (Article 21) and by 
obligated entities (Article 23(6)). On this basis the Commission will also assess, among others, the 
state of the market in relation to injection capacity, provide an overview of the geographical spread 
of planned storage sites, and assess whether it is necessary to introduce an objective for 2040 or 
earlier if needed, under Article 20(3) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1735. 

25