Socio-political development of CC(U)S in the Baltic Sea region

Abstract

According to EU goals and the Paris Agreement, an urgent need exists to reduce CO2 emissions while still securing energy supply. Thus, the timely deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS) is seemingly unavoidable, especially for the cement and steel industries. However, diverse perceptions of CCS among stakeholders such as experts, politicians, and laypeople exist that could hinder the deployment of the technology, not least in the Baltic Sea Region (BSR). Hence, this research discusses these diverse perceptions and their roots. Furthermore, when it comes to political developments of CCS, after the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine, the whole process of the energy transition in the region is under shadow for the seemingly mid-term while the approach to the energy security and security of supply needs to be revisited. In other words, the countries of the BSR need to manage the energy crisis in the region while following their plans for decarbonisation. In this light, CCS is, therefore, an option to secure energy supply from undesired alternatives like fossil fuels for the short-term and also biomass while curbing CO2 emissions. In sum, this research also discusses the role of CCS in energy security and security of supply concerning the Russian invasion of Ukraine.