Study visit for carbon capture and storage capacity building

10-04-2023 16:30

Bulgarian delegation participated in a study visit aimed at increasing the capacity in the field of carbon capture and storage in the Netherlands and Norway in March.

The initiative was carried out by the Programme Operator of the Environment Protection and Climate Change Programme within the framework of the Bilateral Fund under the Financial Mechanism of the EEA 2014-2021.

The purpose of the visit was the acquaintance with the achievements of various technologies for reducing carbon (CO₂) emissions in the atmosphere, which have already been implemented or are in the process of being built in Western Europe.

Carbon capture and storage is one of the technologies recognized by a number of Member States for achieving climate neutrality, but its targeted enforcement should be worked on effectively, with a view to ensuring the necessary legal framework, as well as investments at the EU level.

As part of the work program, the Bulgarian group held meetings with representatives of the Norwegian and Dutch institutions to exchange practices for carbon capture and storage. Main interests and discussion points were the regulatory part of CO₂ transport and storage, issuing the necessary permits to CO₂ capture and storage sites, main challenges in drafting the necessary legislation and creating a regulatory base, as well as sharing knowledge and experience from experts in the management of projects of a similar type.

Norway has extensive experience in the field since 1996, and is currently in the final phase of construction of one of the largest underwater carbon storage facilities in Europe, “Northern Lights”. The storage site was visited by the Bulgarian delegates during the trip, where both technical details of the implementation of the project and the public awareness campaign on the subject related to carbon capture and storage were discussed.