EON : E.ON starts CCS project in Denmark

• E.ON and the intermunicipal waste company ARC today have signed an agreement on the project CopenCapture in Copenhagen. The project aims to capture a total of 400,000 tons of CO₂ annually from the stack at CopenHill and store it underground.

  At the top of the chimney at the world-renowned Danish waste-to-energy plant CopenHill, E.ON and ARC agreed on this exclusive partnership to transform the plant into an international flagship for CO₂ capture and storage (CCS).

  The new partnership agreement marks that E.ON is applying for prequalification in the Danish Energy Agency's CCS tender, which mandates full CO₂ capture by 2030. The implementation of CopenCapture is contingent on financial support from the CCS funding scheme.

  Part of the emitted CO₂ at CopenHill originates from organic materials, e.g., contaminated paper and cardboard. This CO₂ is classified as biogenic, and capturing it will result in so-called negative emissions - CO₂ from a natural carbon cycle that is permanently removed from the atmosphere.

  The negative emissions can be sold as climate credits - specifically high-quality Carbon Removal Credits (CRCs). These credits will be traded on the voluntary CO₂ credit market, where companies can purchase CO₂ reductions either as compensation or as a contribution.

  "Electrification can reduce many types of CO₂ emissions. However, we do not yet have the technologies to eliminate the need for environmentally responsible treatment of residual waste that cannot be reused or recycled. Utilizing residual waste to generate local heat and electricity for communities and businesses is the best available solution. However, waste-to-energy (WtE) still faces a challenge: CO₂ emissions from the process. This is why CO₂ capture in waste-to-energy is a crucial climate solution that we, as a company, are committed to contributing to," says Marten Bunnemann, CEO of E.ON Energy Infrastructure Solutions, adding: "From our perspective, the world's most modern and iconic WtE plant should also be a frontrunner in CCS. CopenHill is a state-of-the-art facility with a long lifespan, operating year-round and meeting the highest environmental standards. Denmark has created strong conditions for developing new CCS projects through its tendering process. The CopenCapture partnership presents a unique opportunity to establish an international benchmark project, demonstrating how we can tackle one of the most challenging and complex climate issues - the increasing CO₂."