Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) has increasingly received attention as an important greenhouse gas abatement technology. The technology may allow economies world-wide to phase out fossil fuels gradually while capturing CO₂ emissions. Although lower energy consumption and renewable energy technologies are fundamental to a sustainable long term energy supply, CCS plays a very important role in virtually all recent climate change mitigation scenarios.

Through research and knowledge dissemination, the ECN contributes to a wide range of CCS debates nationally, within the European Union and internationally.

Within ECN research is conducted on five sub-themes:

• Legislation and policy for CCS
  Incentives for CCS – CCS Safety Issues – EU Directive of Geological Storage of CO2
• Public perception of CCS
  Community engagement methodologies – CCS stakeholder involvement – CCS communication – Public opinion – Public awareness of CCS – CCS advocacy and group think
• CCS in the mitigation portfolio
  Climate impacts of CCS leakage – CCS in national climate policy – CCS readiness
• CCS in the energy system
  The impact of CCS on EU power markets – Modelling CCS in a sustainable energy system – Biomass and CCS – CCS infrastructure and CO2 transport
• CCS in the global context
  CCS in the international climate negotiations – Capacity building on CCS in developing countries – CCS in the Clean Development Mechanism