CASTOR, "CO2 from Capture to Storage", is an European initiative grouping 30 partners (industries, research institutes and universities) coming from 11 different European countries and partially funded by the European Commission under the 6th Framework Program. The overall goal of CASTOR is to develop and validate, in public/private partnerships, all the innovative technologies needed to capture CO2 and store CO2 in a reliable and safe way.

Esbjerg Power Plant                           Source: ELSAM

Key targets of CASTOR will be:

• A major reduction in post-combustion capture costs, from 50-60 € down to 20-30 € per ton of CO₂ (large volumes of flue gases need to be treated with low CO₂ content and low pressure).
• To advance general acceptance of the overall concept in terms of storage performance (capacity, CO₂ residence time), storage security and environmental acceptability.
• To start the development of an integrated strategy connecting capture, transport and storage options for Europe.

CASTOR activities fall into 3 technical sub-projects (SP):

1. “Strategy for CO₂ reduction” (7% of the budget)
2. “Post-combustion capture” (67% of the budget)
3. “CO₂ storage performance and risk assessment studies” (26% of the budget)

In SP2 and SP3, large-scale field tests (capture facility, injection and monitoring facility) will be executed to validate the research results. In all sub-projects innovative methods and tools will be developed, building upon the state of the art knowledge of participating organisations which are leading in the field of CO₂ capture, transport and storage.

CASTOR will make important contributions to reduce major bottlenecks that still remain in CO2 capture and geological storage by providing : - An improved process for capturing CO2 in large volumes of low pressure flue gases at a much lower cost than today (development of new liquids and membranes). - Capture validation site. - New examples of storage sites needed for achieving public acceptance. - For national and European governments there will be a clearer view on clean fossil fuels as a solution to achieve Kyoto objectives while ensuring security of energy supply for Europe.

Snohvit Field                             Source: Statoil

The project will enable the research community and the industries to maintain and extend the leading position on CO₂ capture and storage.