At Stockholm Exergi, we have set our sights on large-scale capture and storage of carbon dioxide using BECCS at our bioenergy-generation plant in Stockholm’s Värtan neighborhood. We are working intensively in our research facility to improve our BECCS technology and create the best method for large-scale carbon capture.
BECCS (Bio energy with carbon capture and storage) is a technique for permanently removing biogenic CO2 from the atmosphere. Combining CO2 capture with heat recovery in Europe’s largest biomass-based Combined Heat and Power plant in Stockholm, we will capture and permanently store large quantities of biogenic CO2, resulting in carbon removal from the atmosphere and creation of so-called negative emissions.
Only during the first ten years of operation Beccs Stockholm will contribute to 7.83 Mt CO2e of absolute Green House Gas emission being removed from the atmosphere. Due to Beccs being a highly efficient, long-term method for storing CO2 is it considered as a vital step in reaching the EU-objective of Climate Neutrality by 2050.
In addition to producing concrete climate benefits, Beccs Stockholm is also intended to accelerate the development of a new market for net carbon removals. Firstly, the Beccs Stockholm technology can be replicated in other sites. Secondly, it has the potential to be scaled up across the economy by replicating the technology in other industries. Finally, by contributing to the establishment of all necessary links in the CCS value chain in Northern Europe, Beccs Stockholm is an important early adopter that has potential to lead many other CCS projects to follow suit.
The European Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET Plan) identify the technique as one of the priority actions for accelerating the energy system’s transformation. Additionally, it highlights the importance of the technique becoming cost-effective and gaining public acceptance, to eventually be commercially developed.
Supported by the EU Innovation Fund
Beccs Stockholm was one of seven projects selected to receive funding from the European Union’s Innovation Fund under grant agreement no 101051202. The EU Innovation Fund is one of the world’s largest funding programs for the demonstration of innovative low-carbon technologies. It will provide around EUR 20 billion of support over 2020-2030, aiming to bring industrial solutions that decarbonize Europe to the market and support its transition to climate neutrality.
The technical design of the carbon capture is now essentially complete and we are approaching the selection of a supplier for the final storage of the biogenic carbon. To make the investment decision, we need to secure funding for the project, which consists of three parts:
Our goal has been to take a final investment decision (FID) for our BECCS plant during 2024, but we have been clear that Swedish state aid, allocated through a reversed auction, is a prerequisite for such a decision. Our current focus is to prepare for our bid, and we are working diligently towards this milestone.
The Swedish Energy Agency aims to issue their decisions about allocation in the auction before the end of the year. An investment decision will follow in the next phase, and winning the auction is a requirement for making such a decision. We plan to take an investment decision as soon as possible in 2025, provided we receive state aid.
