INEOS Commences Commercial Operations at Landmark Greensand Project
INEOS Energy has officially initiated full-scale commercial operations at the Greensand Carbon Project in the Danish North Sea. The milestone marks the launch of the European Union’s first commercial offshore CO2 storage facility, establishing a framework for permanent subsea carbon sequestration and supporting broader EU maritime decarbonization goals. Breakthrough for Offshore CO2 Storage
Officially inaugurated in Esbjerg by King Frederik X of Denmark, the Greensand facility provides dedicated permanent storage for captured carbon dioxide in depleted offshore oil and gas reservoirs. Situated in the Nini West field approximately 250 kilometres off the Danish coast, liquid carbon dioxide is injected nearly 1,800 metres beneath the seabed.
In its initial operational phase, the Greensand project features a handling capacity of up to 400,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. The initiative relies on repurposed subsea infrastructure and offshore assets, demonstrating how existing marine engineering expertise can support low-carbon industrial energy transitions. Integrating Carbon Capture Shipping and Logistics
A foundational element of the Greensand initiative is establishing scalable maritime CO2 Transport logistics. Because many industrial capture facilities lack direct pipeline connectivity to subsea storage fields, the operational model relies heavily on specialised Carbon Capture Shipping.
Under current logistics arrangements, liquefied carbon dioxide collected from domestic sources is transported to temporary storage facilities at Port Esbjerg before being loaded onto dedicated CO2 transport vessels, such as the Carbon Destroyer 1, for transit to the offshore injection site. This maritime supply chain bridges the geographical gap between continental emitters and subsea injection sites. Operational Significance
Led by INEOS Energy, alongside partners Harbour Energy and the Danish North Sea Fund (Nordsøfonden), the project plans to progressively expand capacity to store between 4 and 8 million tonnes of CO2 annually over the coming decade. The commercial activation of Greensand provides a verified operational model for European industrial emitters, shipowners, and offshore logistics providers seeking to meet stringent long-term climate targets.
