This has been a core topic for Bellona for the last few years, with an important milestone reached in publication of a joint report by the EU Technology Platforms for CCS and Biofuels (ZEP and EBTP respectively), launched at the EU Sustainable Energy Week this June.

Together with co-chair Debo Adams of the IEA Clean Coal Centre, one of the contributors to the abovementioned report, Helseth introduced speakers on a number of interesting topics including global potentials for biogas production with CCS, and even direct capture of CO₂ from ambient air.

This year’s GHGT, the 11^th in the series, was attended by more than 1500 researchers, NGOs and industry representatives from across the globe, sharing the goal of moving CCS toward commercial deployment for the sake of our climate.

“While a certain pessimism – or rather, disappointment – at the slow pace of deployment can be felt at this point, there is a positive tendency in terms of a broadening in focus”, Helseth said, alluding to the growing number of presentations and posters on CCS in industries beyond the power industry, including for biomass conversion processes.

“Moreover, we should recognise that the current disappointment largely stems from the apparently failed first call for projects under the NER300 programme in the EU”, he continued. “Elsewhere, CCS is moving forward. The European disappointment is mainly connected to a funding programme which did not exist four years ago. Still, the EU and its industry believed in this technology back then, because it is crucial, and it remains crucial. One setback should not change that, not in face of the looming climate crisis”, Helseth concluded.