Wintershall Dea and HES Accelerate CO2 Storage Project in the North Sea

The energetic step towards implementing the climate vision is bearing fruit: Wintershall Dea and the operator of Germany's largest independent tank terminal, HES, are pooling their forces to advance the vision of subsea CO2 storage. Under the name CO2nnectNow, work is being done on a CO2 hub in Wilhelmshaven, which is intended to serve as a central collection point – a project whose technical feasibility is supported by recent studies. The launch of the ambitious CO2 transshipment hub is planned for 2029. With this initiative, CO2 emissions are to be stored at sea, thus sharpening Germany's climate profile. Recently, Economic Minister Robert Habeck outlined the course for subsea storage, while terrestrial storage remains out of the question for the time being. At the heart of the overall project is Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology, a process by which CO2 is captured at its source, transported, and securely deposited underground. The Wilhelmshaven tank terminal, operated by HES, with its extensive infrastructure, offers the ideal conditions for such an endeavor. There, CO2 quantities from all over Germany are expected to arrive and be stored in tanks capable of holding up to 50,000 tons each until they continue their journey to the North Sea. The operational potential of the CO2 hub is estimated to handle up to 10 million tons of CO2 annually. Wintershall Dea is already familiar with the practice of CO2 storage through a parallel project in Denmark. The transport of CO2 is not only envisaged via pipeline systems; a pipeline running across the North Sea towards Norway is also considered, although it is still in the conceptual phase. Until this is realized, CO2 could also be shipped to the storage sites by sea.