European investment atlas of potential CO2 storage sites

The main goal of this opportunity is to develop a digital atlas of underground storage spaces for CO2 across the European Union and Associated Countries. It aims to increase the availability and transparency of CO2 storage sites for future use, helping market operators plan investments in carbon capture and storage. Key focus areas include identifying and assessing storage and injection capacities, labeling sites by their readiness level, addressing data gaps, and ranking sites using a common scheme. The initiative supports large-scale storage hubs linked to shared transport infrastructure, contributing to the EU's goal of storing at least 50 million tonnes of CO2 annually by 2030. The geographic scope covers the EU, its exclusive economic zones, continental shelf, Associated Countries, and other eligible non-EU countries.

• Map and assess geological formations across Europe suitable for CO₂ geological storage, including depleted oil and gas fields, deep saline aquifers, and basalt formations.

• Develop a digital atlas integrating geospatial, geological, and regulatory data to identify and evaluate CO₂ storage potential.

• Assess storage capacity and injectivity of identified sites, considering factors such as porosity, permeability, and depth.

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• Evaluate environmental and safety aspects, including potential risks of CO₂ leakage and induced seismicity.

• Provide recommendations for site selection, permitting processes, and infrastructure development to facilitate CO₂ storage deployment.

• Engage stakeholders, including national geological surveys, regulatory bodies, and industry representatives, to ensure the atlas's relevance and applicability.

• Contribute to EU-wide strategies for CO₂ storage, supporting the achievement of climate neutrality goals.

Examples:

• A project mapping and assessing underground CO2 storage sites in the North Sea, involving partners from several EU countries.
• An initiative to develop a ranking system for CO2 storage sites based on technical and economic factors.
• A collaboration between research institutes and industry to collect and standardize data on storage site readiness in Central Europe.

• Personnel costs for project staff
• Costs for data collection and analysis
• Expenses for developing digital mapping tools and software
• Travel and meeting costs for project partners
• Costs for stakeholder engagement and dissemination activities
• Purchase of equipment needed for storage site assessment
• Consultancy and subcontracting related to technical studies
• Costs for preparing and publishing reports and guidelines

Note: All expenses are covered by a lump sum, with more details available in the program's simplified cost decisions.

• Budget for this Call: 5.000.000€
• Number of Grants attributed: 1

• Must be a consortium of at least three independent legal entities from three different eligible countries (EU Member States or Horizon‑associated countries), with at least one partner from an EU Member State. All participants must be established in eligible countries and demonstrate sufficient financial and operational capacity as required by Annex B and C of the Horizon Europe Model Grant Agreement.

  Project must align with topic objectives: develop an investment-grade digital atlas of underground CO₂ storage sites in the EU and associated countries; apply harmonised methodology to assess injection and storage capacities; assign storage readiness levels; identify key regions; plan for pre-licence appraisal; and cooperate with geological surveys or competent authorities. Access to high-quality subsurface data is mandatory.

  Standard Horizon Europe rules on ethics, integrity, exclusion, conflict-of-interest and legal compliance apply as per General Annex B–C.