Strong industrial interest confirms the emergence of a French CO₂ market
CO₂ Value Europe’s member NaTran has announced successful results from its Call for Expressions of Interest (CEI) for an inter-regional CO₂ transport project covering Hauts-de-France, Grand Est, Normandy and Île-de-France regions.
For the Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) community, the results provide a strong signal that industrial stakeholders are preparing for the scale-up of circular carbon value chains in France. More than 200 stakeholders across the CO₂ value chain participated in the CEI, confirming growing demand for transport infrastructure capable of connecting emitters, utilisation projects and storage solutions.
The initiative identified a total transportation need of 16.7 million tonnes of CO₂ per year, including 6.4 million tonnes of biogenic CO₂, an important feedstock for sustainable carbon utilisation pathways and e-fuel production.
Building the infrastructure needed for carbon utilisation
Connecting emitters with utilisation projects
Beyond storage opportunities, the CEI highlighted significant interest in CO₂ valorisation projects, particularly for e-fuels and circular carbon applications. NaTran identified around 2 million tonnes per year of demand linked to CO₂ utilisation projects.
The proposed transport backbone, spanning approximately 1,000 kilometres across northern France, aims to connect industrial clusters, ports and utilisation projects through a shared infrastructure network.
Unlocking the potential of biogenic CO₂
One of the key outcomes of the CEI is the confirmed availability of biogenic CO₂ from methanisation sites, biomass facilities and waste management operations.
More than 100 methanisation sites expressed interest in recovering their biogenic CO₂, underlining the growing role of carbon circularity in supporting low-carbon fuels and industrial decarbonisation.
Supporting the development of a European CCUS ecosystem
The project also attracted interest from stakeholders in Luxembourg, Germany and Switzerland, reinforcing the cross-border dimension of CO₂ infrastructure development in Europe.
The planned connection with the DKHARBO initiative in Dunkirk, developed by NaTran and Equinor, would provide access to large-scale transport and export capacities towards North Sea storage infrastructure.
Alongside this north-eastern corridor, NaTran is also advancing the GOCO2 project in western France, contributing to the gradual development of an interconnected national CO₂ transport network.
For the CCU sector, initiatives such as this are essential to creating the infrastructure needed to scale up carbon utilisation technologies and develop a competitive circular carbon economy in Europe.
Read the full Press Release here.
