The European Union (EU) member states have approved a proposal from the European Commission (EC) to inject €594m into eight cross-border energy infrastructure projects.
The funding will be made under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) for Trans-European Networks for Energy programme. It will be allocated for five carbon dioxide networks projects, two projects in the electricity sector, and a gas storage project.
According to the EC, the projects have been selected from the fifth projects of common interest (PCIs) list of November 2021.
An amount of approximately €480m will be awarded to four carbon dioxide transport and storage projects.
These projects will be the first building blocks of a future Europe-wide carbon value chain that are anticipated to be completed by the end of 2030. It is anticipated that the projects will contribute to the EU’s 2030 decarbonisation goals.
A multimodal carbon dioxide export hub in the port of Dunkirk in France, dubbed D’Artagnan, will receive €189m in funding. The Commission will also support carbon dioxide infrastructure in the port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands with €157m.
The Rotterdam infrastructure comprises an import terminal to receive CO2 from carbon capture sites in various EU states as well as a 200km undersea trunkline. Dubbed as Aramis project, the trunkline will get €124m in funding to connect the Dutch port to a future CO2 storage site to be established in a depleted offshore gas field.
Besides, €131m is allocated for a cross-border initiative for linking carbon dioxide capture initiatives in various EU member states with a storage site to be developed in the future at sea on the Norwegian continental shelf.
An initiative of the Northern Lights carbon capture and storage project, the initiative will support the expansion of the carbon dioxide import terminal in Øygarden, Norway and the construction of a 100km offshore pipeline that will link to the storage site.
The EU will also finance works worth €100m pertaining to the Gabreta smart grids project located between Czechia and Germany. The Gabreta project will enable the integration of renewable electricity.
Furthermore, the existing Depomures natural gas storage facility in Romania will receive funding worth €12.77m to boost its working capacity and its daily injection and withdrawal rates.
The Commission will also fund €2.54m and €1.22m, respectively, for studies essential for the implementation of the EU CCS Interconnector and a project aimed at strengthening the Lonny-Achêne-Gramme electricity interconnector between France and Belgium.
