Fortum Oslo Varme and our Carbon Capture Project

Fortum Oslo Varme’s waste-to-energy CCS project provides a blueprint for cities across Europe on how to best deal with non-recyclable waste, while producing heat and electricity for city inhabitants and meeting ambitious greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.

Key facts about the CCS project

Can capture 400,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.
This is the equivalent of the emissions from around 200,000 cars and will reduce Oslo’s emissions by 14%, making it essential for reaching the city’s ambitious climate goals.

Will produce negative emissions.
50% of the waste handled is of biological origin, meaning that when we capture it, the CO2 will be taken out of the atmosphere. This is also known as Bio-CCS or BECCS, something which the European Commission, the UN and the International Energy Agency all state is paramount to reaching the world’s climate targets.

Handles the city’s waste sustainably.
The Waste-to-energy plant end treat 400,000 tonnes of waste per year that cannot or should not be reused or recycled.

The excess heat from the waste incineration is used to produce district heating and electricity.
Currently, Fortum Oslo Varme covers the heat demand from 160,000 housing units in Oslo, equall to 20% of the city’s heat demand, through its district heating system.

Can be replicated to almost 500 similar WtE-plants in Europe.
The project in Oslo is considered the most mature waste-to-energy with CCS project in the world. When realised, it will be a state-of-the-art facility providing circular waste handling, district heating and negative emissions, and a model plant for European cities aiming to reduce emissions and solve their waste problems.

Is safe and tested.
We have conducted a 5,500-hour pilot test on our flue gas and achieved up to a 95% capture rate. In addition, our technology supplier Shell has experience from full-scale carbon capture in Canada.

400,000

tonnes of CO2 captured per year

14%

reduction in the emissions of Oslo

400,000

tonnes of waste handled annually

160,000

housing units in Oslo heated by Fortum Oslo Varme

Why waste-to-energy with CCS?

2.2 billion tonnes of waste is produced every year, and this is expected to double by 2025.
Household waste alone accounts for 5% of global CO2 emissions.
Waste incineration reduces emissions by 75% compared to landfills, and with CCS the last 25% can be removed and even go carbon-negative.
The world must transition from landfills to waste sorting, recycling and energy recovery of residual waste that cannot, or should not, be recycled.
In the EU alone, approximately 100 million tonnes of waste is landfilled every year. If this was handled with waste-to-energy and CCS, Europe could reduce its CO2 emissions by 90 million tonnes per year.
With the EU’s increased targets for material recycling and landfill reduction, the EU would still lack waste-to-energy capacity of at least 40 million tonnes, or 100 Fortum Oslo Varme plants.
Waste-to-energy is a necessary supplement to sorting and recycling. It plays an important role in the circular economy by managing waste that must be taken out of the cycle, and it ensures that we recycle the waste’s energy in a sustainable manner.

Status of Fortum Oslo Varme’s CO2 capture project

In November 2021 the EU-commission declined the project’s application for funding from the EU Innovation fund. The project has reviewed the feedback on their application, improved the application and reduced the amount they are applying for in the second call in March 2022.

21 September 2020, the Norwegian Government proposed to realise its full-scale carbon capture project and named it "Langskip" (referring to the Viking longships). The project consists of a full CCS value chain, from capture to transport and storage, and includes several industrial actors. Fortum Oslo Varme received a conditional offer of NOK 3 billion (approx. EUR 300 million), provided that the project secures sufficient own funding as well as funding from the EU or other sources.

The project is an "oven-ready" CCS project that is ready to be the first full-scale waste-to-energy plant in the world with CO2 capture. The project has successfully conducted its FEED studies, operated a pilot plant for 5,500 hours and achieved a stable capture rate of 90-95%. It will demonstrate CO2 transport to port with emission-free trucks and is ready to take the role as a leader for cities aiming to solve their waste problem and substantially cut their emissions.