Yara has begun operations at its Sluiskil fertiliser and ammonia facility in the Netherlands, launching what is described as Europe’s largest commercial carbon capture and storage (CCS) project.
The facility in Zeeland will capture carbon dioxide produced during ammonia manufacturing before preparing it for permanent storage offshore.
The project is designed to capture and liquefy up to 800,000 tonnes of CO₂ each year. The captured emissions will then be transported by ship to Norway, where the Northern Lights facility will inject them approximately 2,600 metres beneath the North Sea seabed for permanent geological storage.
The project is expected to capture and store around 12 million tonnes of CO₂ over 15 years, giving energy-intensive fertiliser production a route to substantially reduce its emissions without moving manufacturing outside Europe.
It also demonstrates how cross-border infrastructure could become an important part of the continent’s industrial decarbonisation strategy.
Speaking on the landmark facility, Wopke Hoekstra, European Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth, said: “Europe needs practical climate solutions that deliver real emissions reductions while strengthening industrial competitiveness.
“The carbon capture and storage project at Sluiskil shows what is possible when innovation and cross-border cooperation come together. This is exactly the kind of project Europe needs to combine climate ambition with a strong and resilient industrial base.”
How does carbon capture and storage work?
Carbon capture and storage is a process designed to prevent carbon dioxide from industrial processes from reaching the atmosphere.
CO₂ is separated from industrial emissions, compressed or liquefied, transported to a suitable location and injected into deep geological formations for long-term storage.
For industries such as ammonia, fertiliser, cement and waste management, completely eliminating emissions can be technically difficult because CO₂ can be produced as part of the manufacturing process itself.
CCS therefore offers a way to tackle emissions that are otherwise challenging to remove while allowing industrial production to continue.
Captured CO₂ will cross the North Sea
The captured emissions will be shipped to Øygarden in Norway, where the Northern Lights storage system will take over. From there, the CO₂ will be transported offshore and permanently stored beneath the seabed.
The infrastructure represents a significant example of European countries sharing the infrastructure required for industrial decarbonisation.
Rather than requiring every industrial site to develop its own storage solution, captured carbon can be transported across borders to geological formations suitable for permanent storage.
The initiative stems from the EU-Norway Green Alliance, agreed in 2023, and combines private investment with European public support. The European Union has contributed through the Connecting Europe Facility.
Supporting Europe’s industrial decarbonisation
The inauguration brought together European and Norwegian political and industry leaders, including Wopke Hoekstra, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten, and Yara International president and CEO Svein Tore Holsether.
For Yara, the carbon capture and storage plant is intended to reduce the emissions intensity of its existing ammonia and fertiliser operations while supporting the development of lower-carbon products.
The company expects the technology to contribute to lower-carbon fertilisers for agriculture and lower-carbon ammonia for industrial and energy applications. Captured carbon also forms part of a broader strategy to develop cleaner value chains, including potential applications in maritime fuels.
Holsether added: “This is an important day for Yara and for European industry. The carbon capture facility in Sluiskil proves that large-scale industrial decarbonisation is possible today.
“As global competition intensifies, Europe must find ways to cut emissions while keeping industry, jobs and critical value chains in Europe. That is exactly what this project is about
CCS becomes part of Europe’s industrial strategy
The Sluiskil project arrives as the EU places greater emphasis on combining emissions reduction with industrial competitiveness.
CCS is identified as an important tool for sectors where electrification or alternative production methods cannot eliminate emissions entirely.
The project also reflects a wider shift towards building the physical infrastructure needed to move and store captured CO₂ at scale. If successful, the Sluiskil operation could provide a model for other European industrial facilities seeking to reduce emissions while maintaining domestic production.
With the capacity to capture hundreds of thousands of tonnes of CO₂ annually, the new carbon capture and storage plant represents a significant step in turning CCS from a developing technology into operational infrastructure for Europe’s heavy industry.
