Reflections on transport, hubs, markets and public acceptance beyond 2025
The recent Nordic CCS workshop demonstrated both the ambition and the maturity of the Nordic dialogue on carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS). Discussions were open and constructive, and clearly highlighted the value of a Nordic platform for aligning policy, infrastructure development and market design as CCS moves from pilot projects toward large-scale deployment.
Based on participation across plenary sessions and four thematic tracks, the reflections below are offered from a CO₂ Hub Europe perspective, focusing on how Nordic cooperation can pragmatically support near-term deployment while remaining closely aligned with EU policy frameworks and market development.
1. Transport & CO₂ hubs – from projects to backbone infrastructure
A clear takeaway from the transport discussions was that CO₂ transport can no longer be treated as a downstream or secondary issue. Transport infrastructure is a strategic enabler that will largely determine the speed, cost and scalability of CCS deployment.
There was broad recognition of the need to move beyond project-specific solutions toward open-access, backbone-oriented CO₂ hubs, developed with early overcapacity and clear governance. From a Nordic perspective, this points to:
- Coordinated planning of hub-to-hub connectivity, not only national point-to-point links
- Early political support for shared risk-taking in transport infrastructure
- Alignment with EU instruments such as TEN-E, PCI/PMI and the Net-Zero Industry Act to ensure Nordic projects are “EU-ready” from the outset
With Denmark positioned as a future storage anchor, cross-border CO₂ transport becomes a system-level question, rather than a series of bilateral arrangements — and a natural area for strengthened Nordic coordination.
2. CO₂ hub strategies – clarity of roles and complementarity
The hub strategy discussions highlighted a core Nordic strength: different countries contribute different assets to the emerging CCS system — geological storage, biogenic CO₂ sources, DAC technologies, utilisation pathways and industrial clusters.
Rather than harmonisation, what appears most valuable at Nordic level is role clarity and complementarity, including:
- Transparency on where large-scale storage is realistically expected before 2035
- Clear expectations regarding cross-border volumes, timelines and access conditions
- A shared narrative that Nordic cooperation reduces cost and risk for industry, rather than shifting burdens between countries
This approach allows Nordic cooperation to actively support EU-level market formation by demonstrating how regional specialisation accelerates decarbonisation at scale.
3. Market matchmaking – reducing friction for first movers
The matchmaking discussions made clear that many value-chain connections already exist across the Nordics. However, they remain slow and transaction-heavy, constrained by regulatory, commercial and informational friction.
A concrete Nordic contribution could therefore focus on:
- Facilitating structured matchmaking between emitters, transport operators and storage providers
- Clarifying interfaces between national support schemes and cross-border business models
- Supporting early standardisation of CO₂ specifications, liability interfaces and access terms
This is less about creating new institutions and more about lowering entry barriers for first movers, particularly industrial actors operating across Nordic borders.
4. Public engagement & acceptance – from “explaining CCS” to sharing value
The discussions on public engagement were notably frank. A recurring insight was that public acceptance is driven less by technical explanations and more by perceptions of fairness, transparency and local value creation.
Across the Nordic countries, this suggests:
- Earlier and more continuous local engagement, well before formal permitting processes
- Clear articulation of local and regional benefits, not only national climate objectives
- Nordic exchange of good practice on engagement models, education and benefit-sharing
A shared Nordic framing of CCS as critical climate infrastructure, comparable to energy and transport networks, can help anchor local discussions within a broader societal and European context.
From ambition to delivery
Overall, the workshop confirmed that the Nordics are well positioned to move from ambition to delivery — provided transport, storage, markets and public acceptance are treated as an integrated system.
CO₂ Hub Europe stands ready to contribute to this ongoing dialogue by:
- Bringing an emitter- and infrastructure-focused perspective
- Supporting cross-border thinking aligned with EU market development
- Helping translate Nordic experience into scalable European solutions
If designed as shared European infrastructure, CCS can become both cost-effective and publicly legitimate — and the Nordics can play a decisive role in making that system work.
