Klaipedos Nafta, Larvik Shipping, and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines will carry out feasibility study for liquefied CO2 and hydrogen project in Klaipeda, Lithuania

As global economies evolve their energy systems to tackle climate change challenges, a broad spectrum of solutions is under active evaluation. Carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) is a powerful technological enabler on the path towards a sustainable energy future that is acknowledged in European Green Deal and widely seen as critical to achieve a net-zero economy by 2050. Several CCUS projects are underway in Europe with a clear commitment to creating environmental and economic benefits for emission-intensive industries that are hard to decarbonize.

AB Klaipedos nafta (KN), Larvik Shipping AS (LS), and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) acknowledge the potential for CCUS and have reached an agreement to commence a feasibility study to develop liquefied CO2 (LCO2) loading facilities at KN’s existing infrastructure in Klaipeda, Lithuania. The entire concept shall be to develop a LCO2 logistics and value chain from Lithuania and potentially the Baltic region with Klaipeda seaport at the center.

The verified emissions from installations covered by the European Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) in Lithuania alone reached approximately 6 million tonnes of CO2 in 2020 and put pressure to find the most suitable carbon management solution for the local market. The National Energy and Climate Action Plan of the Republic of Lithuania for 2021-2030 identified carbon capture as a promising area that requires further investigation to seek the best possible application in Lithuania. Insights of carbon management gained in the feasibility study may also help accelerate the clean hydrogen production from fossil fuels.

The main task of the feasibility study will be to identify optimized design and configuration to export CO2 to one or more sequestration facilities within Europe. It also includes the possibility to produce blue hydrogen as an important and necessary solution to reach a zero-emission economy (source of information www.kn.lt)