CO₂ Value Europe publishes today the updated modelling results on the contribution of Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) towards climate neutrality in the EU. This new report is the follow-up of our first quantitative assessment published in 2024. This exercise was carried out with international industrial, technological, economic, and academic experts on CCU and related subjects to understand and quantify the potential of CCU.
Since then, data and modelling improvements have been carried out and led to an updated report that focuses on the new modelling results and adjustments. It includes:
- Modelling of additional mineralisation pathways (i.e., mineralisation of CO₂ to produce supplementary cementitious materials, mineralisation of CO₂ to produce carbonated concrete aggregates)
- Ex-post calculations of CO as feedstock to produce e-ethanol; CO sources considered were steel-making off-gases, biomass gasification and CO₂ conversion
- Detailed modelling of CO₂ from biogas upgrading
- Introduction of cost elements (CAPEX, OPEX, fuel costs)
- Configuration of the national context for the implementation of CO₂ Value Europe’s Vision Scenario at Member-State level (with the case-study of the Netherlands)
- Additional improvements in the model (update of EUROSTAT latest input data, improved modelling of capture in refineries, improved circularity modelling, and more)
- Various corrections (domestic aviation data, double counting of CCU fuels for energy and non-energy applications in the industry, separation of benefits in terms of emission reduction and feedstock availabilities for the chemical industry, and more)
This new report shows that by 2050, the EU will be able to capture about 400 MtCO₂, mainly from biogenic (26%), atmospheric (34%) and process emissions (20%), and convert around half into products, while the rest will be stored underground. Although CCU technologies require significant amounts of low-carbon electricity, they could produce more than half of the EU’s fuel demand by 2050, reducing reliance on fossil fuels, strengthening energy sovereignty and cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
Concerning the next steps, sectoral and thematic documents as well as a detailed methodology will be published in September 2026.
Discover the report here.
