INEOS Starts Full-Scale Commercial CO2 Storage at Denmark’s Greensand Project
INEOS Energy has officially commenced commercial operations at the Greensand project in the Danish sector of the North Sea. The project is the European Union’s first full-scale offshore carbon storage facility, beginning regular commercial operations after its official inauguration on September 18, 2026.
Offshore CO2 Storage Infrastructure and Logistics
The Greensand project represents a fully integrated value chain for carbon capture, transport, and offshore storage. The project sources biogenic carbon dioxide primarily from domestic biomethane producers across Denmark. The gas is captured, liquefied, and transported by road tanker to a dedicated CO2 terminal at the Port of Esbjerg in southwestern Denmark.
From Port Esbjerg, the liquefied cargo is loaded onto the dedicated vessel Carbon Destroyer 1, which project partners describe as the EU’s first purpose-built CO2 shipping carrier. The vessel transports the CO2 approximately 250 kilometres offshore to the depleted Nini West oil reservoir, positioned about 1,800 metres beneath the North Sea seabed. There, the carbon dioxide is injected into the geological formation for permanent isolation.
Project Capacity and Scalability
In its initial commercial phase, the Greensand facility can store up to 400,000 tonnes of CO2 annually. Operator INEOS Energy, in partnership with Harbour Energy and the state-owned Danish North Sea Fund (Nordsøfonden), plans to expand the facility’s overall throughput. Project targets aim for a scaling capacity between 4 million and 8 million tonnes per year by 2030, which would represent up to 13 per cent of Denmark’s total annual carbon emissions.
The Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) verified the site’s geological integrity, and DNV granted independent safety certification. The Danish Energy Agency granted full-scale storage clearance in late 2025 following pilot injection testing conducted in 2023.
The commercial deployment of Project Greensand marks a transition from pilot demonstration projects to scaled operational infrastructure within European maritime decarbonization efforts. For shipowners, port operators, and energy logisticians, the project provides operational validation for specialised CO2 shipping and port handling protocols. As European carbon compliance mechanisms tighten, establishing dedicated CO2 sea transport routes and offshore reception infrastructure offers a practical template for expanding cross-border maritime carbon logistics across the North Sea region.
