CSC project in Norway is shortlisted for EU innovation funding
“This is great news for us and for the project. This shows that the EU believes CCS to be a key technology for achieving significant reductions in emissions from waste incineration, ”said Jannicke Gerner Bjerkås, CCS Director at Fortum Oslo Varme.
“The Commission’s decision to move Fortum Oslo Varme to the second round clearly demonstrates the EU’s support for our project which will make a real difference in phasing out CO2 while addressing urgent waste management issues”, adds Bjerkås.
The Fortum Oslo Varme project will equip an existing waste-to-energy plant with a carbon capture facility. The project will capture 90% of the 400,000 tonnes of CO2 that the plant emits each year. The factory burns the residual waste that remains after reuse and recycling and cannot be treated in any other way. It includes biological, industrial and hospital waste. The plant supplies almost 60% of the energy needs of the Oslo district heating system.
“We are delighted that the EU Innovation Fund sees the need to implement carbon removal technologies on waste-to-energy to meet the EU’s commitments under the agreement of Paris and its goal of being climate neutral by 2050, ”said Per Langer, Vice President President, City Solutions, Fortum.
“I am happy that our project is one more step towards its realization. Carbon neutral cities are a prerequisite for the achievement of the Paris Agreement. The Fortum Oslo Varme waste-to-energy plant can serve as a model for the sustainable management of waste from other cities, ”said Raymond Johansen, Mayor of Oslo.
The city of Oslo is co-owner of the project with the Finnish energy company Fortum. Once operational, Fortum Oslo Varme will reduce the city’s CO2 emissions by 15%, which will greatly contribute to Oslo’s net zero plans.
“We are now one step closer to achieving significant emission reductions through the capture of carbon from waste incineration in Oslo. The realization of our project will have a number of positive effects: the Norwegian CCS value chain will be more robust with two capture factories; the possibility of meeting Oslo’s climate goals increases dramatically; and we will be able to export carbon capture solutions to more than 450 waste incineration plants in Europe, ”continues Bjerkås.
Fortum Oslo Varme offers a unique way to tackle the EU’s dual challenge of waste management and achieving net zero emissions.
Even if the EU meets its ambitious circular economy targets for reuse and recycling, there will be around 40 million tonnes of residual waste that will need to be disposed of as landfill use is to be almost completely phased out by now 2035.
“We are seeing great interest in positive climate solutions. Our project can capture biogenic CO2 and help remove CO2 from the atmosphere, called BioCCS. This is becoming an increasingly important climate measure as it takes time to phase out fossil fuel on a global scale. The combination with carbon capture on waste incineration is therefore very relevant to achieving the climate goals of the EU and Norway, ”says Bjerkås.
“The world is demanding a solution for capturing carbon from waste incineration, and we are ready to demonstrate how it can be done. Carbon capture from waste incineration is a competitive climate measure today, ”she adds.