Belgian-Macedonian Business Club

The project, named Kairos@C, is a collaboration of BASF with Air Liquide. The two companies plan a carbon capture and storage (CCS) chain, which involves capturing CO2 to bury it in depleted gas fields in the North Sea. The investment is estimated for more than one billion euros. The CCS plant project would allow BASF to reduce its CO2 emissions by one million tonnes per year, roughly a third of its total emissions.

Besides combining CO2 capture, liquefaction, transportation, and storage on a large scale in the North Sea, the project includes several innovative technologies. Notably, for capturing the CO2 from production plants, Air Liquide will use its patented CryocapTM technology and, for drying the CO2, BASF will apply its Sorbead® solution. The project will also be connected to shared CO2 transport and export infrastructures, including a first-of-its-kind CO2 liquefaction and export terminal. The project should receive funding by the EU through the European Innovation Fund as one of the seven retained large-scale projects.

The project was planned to be operational in 2025.

But BASF counts on a government participation. “The final decision is expected by the end of the year. However, without a change in the economic climate or increased government support, the project might not come to fruition. Even considering the savings on CO2 emission rights, we can no longer justify the project’s costs in the current context,” concludes Mr Remeysen.” states Mr Remeysen, head of BASF Antwerp.

The chemical industry, is facing challenging times. For more than three years, the sector has been burdened by declining demand and massive imports of low-priced chemicals from China, the United States, and the Middle East.

See the full article at The Brussels Time

Information Air Liquide sur Kairos@C

Article in Energy Industry Review