Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage: From Potential to Practice
Hosted by Member of the European Parliament Peter Liese (EPP, Germany), the event brought together nearly 50 participants from EU institutions, industry, and research to discuss how BECCS can help Europe to meet its 2040 carbon removal targets.
At the heart of the discussion was a new study carried out by BEST (Bioenergy and Sustainable Technologies), with the support of Bioenergy Europe. The findings confirm that BECCS is a mature and scalable solution, capable of removing millions of tonnes of CO₂ from the atmosphere while continuing to produce renewable heat and power.
According to the study, capturing carbon from just 38% of Europe’s existing medium and large bioenergy installations could already deliver 80 million tonnes of CO₂ removals per year, enough to meet the EU’s 2040 carbon removal target. The results demonstrate that technology’s potential is well within reach using Europe’s current bioenergy infrastructure.
The results of the study were presented by Jérémie Geelen, Director of Market Intelligence at Bioenergy Europe. Erik Rylander, Head of Carbon Removals at Stockholm Exergi, and Michael Schytz, Vice-President of Biomass Sourcing & CDR at HOFOR offered an industry perspective. Together, they outlined the opportunities and challenges ahead: from scaling up CO₂ transport and storage infrastructure, to ensuring that the implementation of the EU’s Carbon Removal and Carbon Farming Framework (CRCF) effectively supports market deployment and investment in durable removals.
