Energy company Equinor and French gas transmission operator GRTgaz signed a project development agreement (PDA) on June 17 to create a CO2 transport system for captured industrial emissions in France. 

According to Equinor’s announcement on Monday, the system will channel captured CO2 from factories in Dunkirk, a major industrial area responsible for roughly 20% of France's industrial CO2 emissions, to permanent storage sites under the Norwegian seabed.

GRTgaz will build a 30-kilometre onshore pipeline network in Dunkirk that connects to Equinor's planned CO2 Highway Europe pipeline. This large-scale offshore pipeline will also link Zeebrugge, Belgium, to storage locations in Norway.

“GRTgaz is developing dedicated transmission networks that contribute to transporting CO2 from the French industrial sites where it is captured to storage and utilisation sites in France and Europe,” said Sandrine Meunier, chief executive officer of GRTgaz.

“Indeed, the capture, storage and utilisation of CO2 will play a major role in decarbonising the national and European economy, and infrastructure is an essential element in this CO2 value chain.” 

The initial phase is designed to handle 3 to 5.5 million tonnes of CO2 per year, with the potential for expansion to accommodate CO2 from other French industrial clusters.

Equinor and GRTgaz will leverage their expertise to collaborate on developing CO2 transmission and storage infrastructure, including network planning, technical design, safety protocols, regulatory issues, and stakeholder relations. Feasibility studies are ongoing, with basic engineering studies expected to begin by the end of 2024 and commissioning targeted for 2029.

The project aligns with France's proposed "France 2030" carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technology strategy. It also supports the countries' strategic partnership for green industrial transformation, signed in January 2024.