D9.4 Summary of blueprint design for pioneering CCUS chains

Large scale deployment of CO2 capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) requires the rolling-out of extensive value chains. In this deliverable, we present the development, design, and technoeconomic and environmental analysis of four pioneering chains that include CO2 capture and conditioning from four existing inland European industrial plants and multi-modal transport to selected ports in Northern Europe. Furthermore, the impact that the implementation of a CCUS chain has on actors along the value chain itself but also along the supply chain of required materials and resources has been evaluated through a social life cycle assessment. Finally, a brief overview of the legal and regulatory framework essential for the effective large-scale deployment of CCUS is provided.

The pioneering chains can avoid between 65% and 87% of the industrial emissions (scope 3 considered), with a cost of CO2 avoided ranging between ca. 100 and ca. 300 EUR/tCO2. The geographic location of the industrial emitters proved to be a major factor affecting the economic and environmental performance of the CCUS chains. The analysis relies on the assumption that the four industrial plants would be early-movers. While, in the future, technology maturation and infrastructure development are expected to reduce costs and emissions associated with the CCUS chain, this study quantifies and presents the current economic burden that must be overcome to initiate a needed widespread implementation of CCUS. Therefore, we refer to these four examples as “blueprint designs”, as these chains will serve as models and provide guidance for the development of more advanced CCUS chains.