BECCS technologies are a valuable option to reach Net Zero Emissions by 2050, applicable to different sectors (energy, hard-to-abate, biofuel production). High costs, environmental concerns related to solvent emissions, biomass source, permanent CO2 storage hubs availability, and uncertainties in the policy framework represent challenges for their large-scale deployment. ENHANCEMENT will address all these through i) the characterization and modelling of a green, non-volatile, amino acid-based solvent, with 50% reduced harmful compounds emissions and 3-8% reduced make-up cost; ii) integration of a BECCS technology using the green solvent with a Heat Pipe Condensing Economiser (HPCE) condensing water and acidic pollutants (NOX, SOX) from the flue gas entering the CC unit, to prevent its corrosion while recovering heat (12% energy savings), hence lowering OPEX by 6%; iii) study and model of the BECCS value chain, focusing on biomass availability and development of EU storage hubs at EU level; iv) assessment of the policy scenario, accessible incentives, and carbon credits, delivering policy briefs to guide policymakers towards sustainable development of BECCS technologies. ENHANCEMENT will validate the technology to TRL7 in two pilots: the semi-industrial plant at SINTEF’s CO2Lab and DABO’s mobile testing unit CC+HPCE at SOSVAV’s CHP plant (Italy). The sustainability of the ENHANCEMENT technology will be evaluated through techno-economic analysis, LCA, and s-LCA. Moreover, the replicability of the technology to the hard-to-abate sector (steel industry) will be assessed through the same assessments. ENHANCEMENT technology will target >90% CO2 capture rate and up to 15% total cost reduction down to 18,000 tCO2/y emissions in the CHP demo and ~80,000 tCO2/y for the steel replicability demo case, with a global economic benefit of > 5 M€/y from carbon credits and ETS savings.

The overarching goal of CCUS ZEN is the accelerated deployment of CCUS throughout Europe, which will be achieved by: • Sharing knowledge and disseminating information important for stakeholders to make informed decisions on CCUS • Developing specific and actionable plans for the development of CCUS value chains As CCUS developments around the North Sea (NS) region are relatively mature, CCUS ZEN will leverage these developments as best practice for the development of new CCUS value chains in the currently underdeveloped Baltic Sea (BS) and the Mediterranean Sea (MS) Regions. While CCUS value chains, i.e., the entire pathway from CO2 capture to transport to its eventual storage or utilization, can today be realized, the industry is still in its infancy and many issues must be addressed to achieve the rapid deployment required. The consortium, consisting of 15 partners, including 2 associations with over 400 members in total, brings together entities with leading expertise on all aspects of CCUS value chains. 30 organisations, representing industry, RTOs, Associations, clusters, ports and municipalities involved in the development and deployment of CCUS value chains, will contribute their expertise as networking partners. Starting from an analysis of the technical and non-technical state-of-play in the BS and MS regions, CCUS ZEN will select at least eight value chains (four in each region) for detailed study and comparison with successful value chains from the NS region. One value chain from each analysed region will then be selected as most promising, with a detailed plan for further development. Through its knowledge-sharing activities and transfer of best practices from the NS region, CCUS ZEN will provide an information basis for the future CCUS value chains, including policy recommendations and a blueprint for CCUS value chain development, including easily accessible technology and CO2 source mapping, generic technical frameworks and business plan models.

COREu will demonstrate key enabling technologies in a CCS value chain and support the development of three new CCS routes in Central-East Europe (CEE), helping accelerate CCS development . COREu will (a) provide the means for development of an open-access, trans-national network (infrastructure and logistic) to connect emitters with storage sites in Europe, by identifying multimodal transport requirements, and developing emitters’ clusters to create the demand and the investment rationale, (b) increase the knowledge of the CCS value chain across Europe through interconnected initiatives, sharing of experience, knowledge and data to create a common framework that encompasses all key aspects of CCS deployment: technological know-how, business models, consensus management, monitoring, reporting and validation, policy framework, transport and storage safety. COREU will contribute to 6.8Mt/year in CO2 reduction by 2035 and 36Mt/year by 2050, develop 8 innovations for Measurement Monitoring Verification, interoperability and Value Chain Monitoring, and improve the Internal Rate of Return of CO2 infrastructure investment by 6% through de-risking core technologies.

Experimental research on solar radiation modification (SRM) is controversial and feared to distract from climate change mitigation or leading to dangerous SRM use. It is not clear whether and under which conditions and governance arrangements experimental SRM research may be desirable for reducing uncertainties and lowering the probability of problematic outcomes including unilateral deployment elsewhere. Co-CREATE seeks to help structure this decision problem through co-creative scoping, analysis, and engagement for the development of principles and guidelines. The project starts with a series of scoping notes that outline key dimensions of experimental SRM research including possible cases and their geographical, stake- and rightsholder, and regulatory implications, which ground the conceptual work. Co-CREATE then analyses and develops decision-support tools by asking what we can learn from governance analogues, and how various (risk) evaluation frameworks may help identify key characteristics of research proposals. Co-CREATE furthermore analyses possible legal and procedural conditions including appropriate participation. Co-CREATE itself will for the development of these governance elements enter an extensive stakeholder and rightsholder dialogue that validates preliminary analytical work, ensures stakeholders’ diverse dimensions of concern are included, and strengthens deliberative capacity. Co-CREATE proposes guidelines and principles to facilitate decision-making by the relevant authorities on broader categories of experimental research of SRM as well as case-by-case decisions. A draft will be discussed at a Co-CREATE hosted conference and later refined based on feedback received. Proposed principles and guidelines will be grounded in a understanding of scientific merit, physical and political dimensions of risk and risk-attenuation benefit, and consideration of broader sets of values and concerns – co-creatively identified during the project.