E.ON and the intermunicipal waste company ARC have signed an agreement for the CopenCapture project in Copenhagen, aiming to capture 400,000 tons of CO2 annually from CopenHill’s stack and store it underground. The partnership, formalized at the top of the CopenHill chimney, sets the stage for transforming the plant into a global leader in CO2 capture and storage (CCS).
As part of this agreement, E.ON will apply for prequalification in the Danish Energy Agency’s CCS tender, which requires full CO2 capture by 2030. The success of CopenCapture depends on securing financial support through the CCS funding scheme.“Electrification can reduce many types of CO2 emissions. However, we do not yet have the technologies to eliminate the need for environmentally responsible treatment of residual waste that cannot be reused or recycled. Utilizing residual waste to generate local heat and electricity for communities and businesses is the best available solution. However, waste-to-energy (WtE) still faces a challenge: CO₂ emissions from the process. This is why CO2 capture in waste-to-energy is a crucial climate solution that we, as a company, are committed to contributing to,” said Marten Bunnemann, CEO of E.ON Energy Infrastructure Solutions, adding: “From our perspective, the world’s most modern and iconic WtE plant should also be a frontrunner in CCS. CopenHill is a state-of-the-art facility with a long lifespan, operating year-round and meeting the highest environmental standards. Denmark has created strong conditions for developing new CCS projects through its tendering process. The CopenCapture partnership presents a unique opportunity to establish an international benchmark project, demonstrating how we can tackle one of the most challenging and complex climate issues – the increasing CO2.”
A significant portion of the CO2 emitted at CopenHill comes from organic materials such as contaminated paper and cardboard, which is classified as biogenic CO2. Capturing this biogenic CO2 results in negative emissions, permanently removing CO2 from the natural carbon cycle. These negative emissions can be sold as high-quality Carbon Removal Credits (CRCs) on the voluntary CO2 credit market, allowing companies to purchase them for compensation or climate contributions.
