The 29th National Energy & Development Conference, organised by IENE on 11–12 November 2025 in Athens, featured a dedicated session on Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS)—a technology rapidly gaining prominence as Europe intensifies its decarbonisation efforts. The session highlighted the strategic potential of CCUS for Greece and Southeast Europe, drawing on recent research, emerging project pipelines, and international best practices.
The 29th National Energy & Development Conference, organised by IENE on 11–12 November 2025 in Athens, featured a dedicated session on Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS)—a technology rapidly gaining prominence as Europe intensifies its decarbonisation efforts. The session highlighted the strategic potential of CCUS for Greece and Southeast Europe, drawing on recent research, emerging project pipelines, and international best practices.
The session opened with a presentation by Kostis Oikonomopoulos, Petroleum Geoscientist and Research Fellow at IENE, who provided an overview of IENE’s two recent CCUS studies published in 2023 and 2025. His presentation, “Implementation of CCUS Hubs in Greece”, outlined the technical and economic foundation for the development of CCUS hubs across the country. Based on extensive cost-benefit analysis, the studies propose a decentralized cluster-based model capable of serving major emitters—refineries, cement plants, and power facilities—while accommodating Greece’s uneven distribution of suitable geological storage sites.
Kostis Oikonomopoulos highlighted the full CCUS value chain as analysed in the studies: CO? capture, liquefaction and temporary storage facilities, pipeline and ship-based transport options, and permanent geological storage. He stressed that although CCUS is indispensable for achieving Net Zero goals, the economics remain challenging. High CAPEX and OPEX make large-scale deployment non-viable without significant grant-based funding, particularly during the early phases (like the ongoing EU-funded projects of Prinos, ApolloCO?, Olympus, IRIS and Ifestos).
The session continued with contributions from other distinguished participants who expanded the discussion beyond, into commercial perspectives. Dr. Michalis Thomadakis, Strategy & Development Division Director at DESFA, Dr. Katerina Sardi, Energean Country Manager and Managing Director in Greece, Dr. Emmanouil Kakaras, Executive Vice President at GX Solutions, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries EMEA, Aris Tsikouras, Director, Group Decarbonization Strategy at TITAN CEMENT GROUP, Nikos Bozos, Greece’s CCUS Manager at HERACLES Group. The panel session was moderated by Giorgos Fintikakis, Journalist at Euro2day
The accelerating pace of CCUS development across Europe was empasised. With operational projects already active in Norway, the Netherlands, Italy and the UK, and several more under development, CCUS is transitioning from concept to large-scale deployment. Lessons learned from established hubs such as Sleipner, Snohvit, Porthos and HyNet provide valuable reference points for Greece as it prepares its own infrastructure.
The panel also explored the role of industry stakeholders, the need for cross-border CO? transport protocols, and the importance of early regulatory clarity. Participants agreed that Greece has a unique opportunity to position itself as a regional CCUS hub—not only for domestic emitters but potentially for neighbouring countries looking for storage solutions.
The CCUS session reaffirmed IENE’s commitment to advancing practical, financially grounded pathways toward decarbonisation. Through its recent studies and ongoing stakeholder engagement, IENE continues to provide the analytical foundation necessary for informed policy decisions and strategic investment planning.
As Europe races toward 2050 climate targets, CCUS will remain at the forefront of the conversation—especially for hard-to-abate sectors. The discussions held during this year’s conference underscored both the promise and the challenges ahead, highlighting the need for coordinated action, sustained funding, and continued technical analysis.
