European MEPs have endorsed updated plans to complete major trans-European transport projects, such as cross-border roads, railways, bridges and tunnels, by the end of 2030.
Major Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) projects should be completed by the end of 2030, to secure a comprehensive network by the end of 2050, and to accelerate project rollout across the network, an intermediary deadline of 2040 is introduced.
Railways in the core TEN-T network will be electrified, running at speeds of 100 km/h for freight and crossing internal EU borders in less than 25 minutes on average by the end of 2030.
Alongside improving cross-border connectivity, the decision has major implications for carbon capture and storage – which will underpin the projects’ development in line with decarbonisation goals.
According to the Clean Air Task Force, “The TEN-T regulation sends a positive signal for the large-scale deployment of carbon capture and storage in Europe by acknowledging multiple modalities of CO2 transport.”
In dozens of CCS projects in various stages of development in Europe, the CO2 captured from the emitting facilities is planned to be transported to the storage site with different modes of transport.
“As pipelines require major investments and have longer lead times, taking several years to develop, a bridging solution while pipeline infrastructure is built is to transport CO2 via shipping vessels,” it notes.
Ports can therefore play a major role, which Bellona Europa is supporting together with port authorities through its recent project Ports2Decarb.
“Europe’s most advanced carbon capture and storage project, Northern Lights, will use this modality, with the first CO2 vessels already constructed. Other first-mover projects in the EU are also planning to use ships, such as ECO2CEE in Poland or Prinos in Greece, highlighting just how key this form of transport is.”
Nearly all modelling scenarios towards EU climate neutrality by 2050 highlight the key role of CO2 capture, transport, and storage.
A new strategy released by the EU in February outlined the potential role that carbon capture technologies could play in reducing emissions by 90% by 2040 and reaching climate neutrality by 2050.
The Industrial Carbon Management (ICM) Communication sets out a comprehensive policy approach to deliver on targets laid out in the Net-Zero Industry Act, in which the European Commission proposes that the EU develops at least 50 million tonnes per year of carbon dioxide (CO2) storage capacity by 2030.
