A European Network of Research Infrastructures for CO2 Transport and Injection

The EU has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 and becoming carbon neutral by 2050. Deployment of CO2 Capture and Storage (CCS) from different industrial sectors across Europe is a powerful fast track approach to abate CO2 emissions. CO2 transport and injection are the essential links between capture sites and storage reservoirs. The goal of ENCASE is to contribute to a safer, more cost-effective, and environmentally friendly CO2 transport and well injection. ENCASE aims to continuously improve 7 world-leading CCS-related research infrastructures (RIs) in the consortium with state-of-the-art scientific instruments, tools and methods to be the backbone for research and development of CCS technologies. Co-development of technologies will enhance the capability of RIs, increase RI personnel’s competence and enable these RIs to better address and close key knowledge gaps. ENCASE will safeguard and increase the competitiveness of these European RIs through strong collaboration with the CCS infrastructure operators, service companies, academia, and SMEs. The RIs will be available for the industry/SMEs for prototyping their new equipment/technology, e.g., pumping concepts, metering technologies, and simulator tools for monitoring, controlling and predicting the CO2 streams with impurities. The high-quality data produced in ENCASE will lift the knowledge level of industry and academia, which will contribute to the development of innovative companies and the education of future workforce for the CCS industry. Social innovation labs and co-creation initiatives will be developed by involving different stakeholders to address specific societal needs and better integrate the RIs in the local communities. Our success will improve the design and operation of CCS infrastructures and meet the EU climate goals. Thus, the enhanced research capacity build by ENCASE will benefit scientific community, industry, policy-makers, environment and society.