EU's First Full-Scale Carbon Storage Site Goes Live as INEOS Greensand Begins Operations

INEOS announced on September 18, 2026 that Project Greensand has commenced operations, making it the first full-scale CO₂ storage facility to go live within the European Union. The milestone marks the culmination of nearly a decade of technical and regulatory work to build a complete, commercial-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) value chain inside EU borders.

In its first phase, Greensand can store up to 400,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year beneath the Danish North Sea. The project is designed to scale significantly, with plans to reach 4 to 8 million tonnes annually at full capacity, according to INEOS.

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The Nini platform in the Danish North Sea, operated by INEOS, is the injection site for Project Greensand's permanent CO₂ storage. (Source: INEOS)

How the Value Chain Works

The logistics behind Greensand are straightforward but genuinely novel. CO₂ is captured and liquefied at Danish biomethane plants, then trucked to the Port of Esbjerg on Denmark's west coast. From there, it's loaded onto Carbon Destroyer 1, the world's first dedicated offshore CO₂ carrier, and shipped roughly 250 kilometers out to the depleted Nini West oil field. The CO₂ is then injected about 1,800 meters below the seabed into sandstone, where it's permanently stored.

INEOS developed and operates the CO₂ receiving terminal at Esbjerg, which also handles temporary storage before offshore transport. The project runs alongside partners Harbour Energy and Danish state entity Nordsøfonden, who together took a final investment decision (FID) in December 2024 that unlocked more than $150 million in investments across the full CCS value chain.

What Makes This an EU First

Norway's Northern Lights project, a joint venture owned by Equinor, Shell, and TotalEnergies, beat Greensand to first injection, storing its first CO₂ volumes in August 2025. But Norway is not an EU member state. Greensand's operational start now gives the EU a functioning full-scale CCS site for the first time, a distinction that carries real policy weight.

The European Commission has estimated the EU will need to reach 250 million tonnes of annual CO₂ storage capacity by 2040 to meet its Paris Agreement commitments. CCS is also central to Denmark's own 2045 net-zero target.

We set out a path for European industries: to continue their transition to a low-carbon future, while maintaining production, investments, and employment in our continent. And we open a new front in the existential fight against climate change.

Dan Jorgensen, European Commissioner for Energy and Housing

A Scalable Blueprint

INEOS describes Greensand Future as a full industrial CCS value chain built on a scalable platform, one that can be applied directly to other onshore and offshore storage projects across Europe. The project began with a pilot phase in March 2023, when King Frederik of Denmark officially initiated the first CO₂ injection into the Nini field. That pilot demonstrated, for the first time in the world, that safe cross-border transport of CO₂ for offshore injection was technically feasible.

The commercial phase now underway takes that proof-of-concept and turns it into a running operation. From 400,000 tonnes per year today, the partners plan a gradual expansion toward 8 million tonnes annually by 2030, eventually extending storage from the Nini field to the neighboring Siri oil field.

By giving depleted oil and gas fields a new purpose as permanent CO₂ storage sites, we are turning existing assets and expertise into part of the climate solution while maintaining key jobs.

Mads Weng Gade, Head of Denmark, INEOS Energy

About INEOS

INEOS is one of the world's largest chemical companies, with revenues exceeding $60 billion and operations across more than 180 sites in 26 countries. Through its energy division, INEOS is pursuing a range of low-carbon investments including CCS, hydrogen, and offshore wind. Project Greensand is one of its flagship sustainability initiatives.