CCUS for Waste-to-Energy: Why Carbon Capture at WtE Plants Matters for Europe’s Net-Zero System
Act2Vision Industrial Carbon Management Series – Blogpost 3
Waste-to-energy (WtE) facilities play an essential role in Europe’s waste management system, but they also emit significant volumes of CO₂. As landfilling declines and recycling rates plateau, WtE emissions are increasingly visible in national climate plans. This makes Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) one of the most strategic decarbonisation levers for the sector.
In this post, we explain how CCUS works at WtE plants, why it is strategically important for Europe’s climate goals, and how it fits into the CO₂ value chain developed in Act2Vision’s CCS & Industrial Carbon Management Studio .
1. Why Waste-to-Energy Needs CCUS in the First Place
Waste-to-energy plants emit CO₂ from two sources:
- Biogenic CO₂ – from paper, wood, food and other organic waste
- Fossil CO₂ – from plastics, textiles and synthetic materials
Around 50–60% of WtE emissions are biogenic, meaning that capturing and storing them creates negative emissions. This is why WtE is considered a high-value target for CCS in Europe’s Industrial Carbon Management Strategy.
Key drivers for CCUS in WtE include:
- The phase-down of unabated fossil fuels reinforced at COP30 in Brazil
- Rising ETS costs, with WtE entering the EU ETS in multiple Member States
- National commitments to meet 2030 and 2040 climate targets
- The recognition that WtE has limited alternatives for deep decarbonisation
CCUS is therefore not optional — it is a structural requirement for WtE remaining compatible with long-term climate neutrality.
2. How CCUS Works at a Waste-to-Energy Plant
WtE facilities are among the most suitable candidates for post-combustion capture due to:
- Stable flue-gas flow
- Continuous operation
- Moderate CO₂ concentrations
- Existing flue-gas cleaning infrastructure
The standard WtE capture chain includes:
2.1 Capture
- Post-combustion amine-based systems dominate
- Capture rates of 90%+ are achievable
- Typical integrated cost range: €70–140 per tonne (capture + compression), depending on plant size, steam availability and energy source .
Implementing capture may require steam extraction, CHP redesign or heat integration with district heating networks.
2.2 Transport
As described in earlier posts, CO₂ from WtE sites can be moved by:
- Pipelines – for high-volume clusters (e.g., Rotterdam region)
- CO₂ ships – flexible and ideal for standalone WtE plants
- Intermediate terminals – conditioning and buffering before offshore injection
Projects such as Aramis, Porthos and Northern Lights are expressly designed to serve mid-sized emitters, including WtE clusters .
2.3 Storage
CO₂ captured at WtE plants can be stored in:
- Depleted gas fields
- Deep saline aquifers
- Mineralisation reservoirs
Under EU law (CCS Directive 2009/31/EC), permanently stored biogenic CO₂ can qualify as negative emissions, offering meaningful climate value and corresponding ETS benefits.
3. Why CCUS for WtE Is a Strategic Part of the CO₂ Value Chain
Act2Vision’s CO₂ value-chain framing (Capture → Transport → Storage → Monitoring) shows that WtE plays a special role in Europe’s emerging CCS networks:
- Stable anchor loads for new CO₂ networks. WtE plants operate year-round and provide predictable CO₂ volumes that can “anchor” early CO₂ transport infrastructure.
- Negative emissions at scale. Because WtE streams are partly biogenic, capturing and storing them directly reduces atmospheric CO₂ — a critical component of 2040–2050 climate pathways.
- Urban decarbonisation. Many WtE plants are located near major cities, linking circular-economy waste systems with climate-neutral heating, electricity and district-heat integration.
- Cluster-based CCS expansion. WtE assets often become early participants in cross-sector CCS clusters, co-benefiting with cement, chemicals and refining.
4. Where CCUS for WtE Is Already Happening
Several high-profile WtE CCUS projects illustrate the trend:
- Oslo Klemetsrud (Norway) – the world’s first large-scale WtE CCS project, part of Longship (download whitepaper)
- Aalborg Portland / Danish WtE clusters – linked to Greensand storage (project: ACCSION)
- Dutch WtE plants preparing for connection to Porthos/Aramis (project: PorthosCO2)
- UK waste clusters linking WtE plants to East Coast Cluster (ECC) and HyNet CCS networks
These demonstrate that WtE CCUS is exploratory, entering the implementation phase.
5. Strategic Challenges and Enablers for WtE Operators
5.1 Challenges
- High energy demand for solvent regeneration
- Integration with Combined Heat and Power (CHP) and district-heating systems
- Transport contract structures (take-or-pay)
- Public perception and permitting
- Cross-border shipping compliance
5.2 Enablers
- EU emissions trading system (ETS) EU ETS-directive incentives (stored CO₂ = not emitted)
- Innovation Fund and national subsidy schemes
- CO₂-transport-as-a-service models (Northern Lights, Aramis)
- Long-term negative-emission credits (future policy landscape)
6. Why WtE CCUS Fits Naturally with Act2Vision’s CCS & ICM Studio
Waste-to-energy capture projects require:
- CO₂ network analysis
- Data, Dashboarding and reporting, Control Tower
- Decision support fi. for ETS price pathways
- Visual and stakeholder-friendly communication
This aligns directly with what Act2Vision delivers:
- System-level digital twins modelling capture → transport → storage
- Cluster and network planning across the entire CO₂ value chain
- Scenario dashboards helping WtE operators select optimal routes
- Neutral, transparent analysis trusted by regulators and NGOs
Digital twins, modelling and system planning are becoming necessary for credible CCUS CCS cluster development to manage risk, resilience, scenario planning and desicion support.
7. Key Takeaways
- Waste-to-energy is a high-impact, high-priority sector for CCUS.
- Capturing and storing WtE CO₂ creates immediate climate benefits, including negative emissions.
- CCUS positions WtE as a long-term, low-carbon component of circular-economy waste systems.
- Europe’s CO₂ networks (Porthos, Aramis, Northern Lights, Greensand) are built to serve WtE volumes.
- Digital-twin modelling and system-level scenario analysis are essential for credible WtE CCUS planning.
Building process clarity today for the value chain of tomorrow.
Maarten van Oost@act2vision.nl | +31 (0) 686 698 026 | Amsterdam, Netherlands, EEA
- Blogpost #1: What is CO₂ and why is it a problem and a value chain?
- Blogpost #2: What Is Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)? The Complete 2025 Value Chain Explained.
