Norway’s Research Council invests €15.3m in CCS R&D centre

The Research Council of Norway has unveiled plans to invest 180 MNOK  (€15.3 million) in the establishment of a research centre dedicated to carbon capture, transport, and storage (CCS) technology.
Known as gigaCCS, this venture represents a pivotal step towards advancing Norway's leadership in CCS expertise while contributing to the worldwide effort in combatting greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Norwegian CCS Research Centre (NCCS).
“CCS deployment at a gigatonne scale is vital for a just and sustainable transition to net-zero emissions,” said research director at SINTEF Energy Research and director of the NCCS, Mona Mølnvik, who will also lead gigaCCS.
With an ambitious eight-year timeline spanning from 2025 to 2032, gigaCCS aims to build upon the successes of its predecessor, NCCS, to drive frontier research, foster innovation and cultivate a new generation of CCS specialists.
According to the International Energy Agency, CCS stands as a 'crucial' tool for achieving our climate targets, offering a pathway to decarbonise challenging sectors and facilitating negative-emission technologies.
NCCS said gigaCCS will confront this challenge head-on by developing new, advanced technologies that enhance value and mitigate risk for both industry and society: "As such, gigaCCS acts not only as an area for climate solutions but also an engine for sustainable economic development."
By fostering collaboration between 43 R&D and industry partners, along with over 30 associated partners, gigaCCS said its research remains pertinent and impactful.
The Norwegian R&D partners include the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), the University of Oslo (UiO), NORCE Norwegian Research Centre, the Institute for Energy Technology (IFE), the University in Bergen (UiB) and the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI).
“Promising news is coming from the CCS world. Shortly after the award of the centre, Norway signed a memorandum of understanding on CO2 transport and storage with Sweden, Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands. The work that will be conducted through gigaCCS couldn't be more relevant,” said Mølnvik.