Ref. Ares(2022)6187195 - 07/09/2022
Brussels, 3rd November 2021
Frans Timmermans
Executive Vice-President of the European Commission
Kadri Simson
Commissioner for Energy
Subject: Follow-up of the first CCUS Forum
Dear Executive Vice-President,
Dear Commissioner,
On behalf of the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers (IOGP), I would like to express our
gratitude for the organisation of the first high-level Forum on Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage
(CCUS). The Forum has clearly showed a large consensus on the need for scaling-up the development
of these effective climate mitigation technologies in Europe.
In your concluding remarks, you rightly pointed out that the CCUS technologies are key for us to deliver
on the European Green Deal and on the objectives set in the European Climate Law, which is also
confirmed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and by the International Energy
Agency (IEA). However, at present, only 2 million tons of CO2 per year are stored in Europe, while we
need to reach a storage capacity of 1.4 Gt by 2050. This constitutes an enormous challenge that no
single country or industry can face alone. Such challenge requires to strengthen the collaboration,
around a commonly agreed agenda, between the European institutions, Member States, the private
sector and the investor community.
The inauguration of the CCUS Forum was highly appreciated and helped to create the so-much needed
political momentum. Building on this success, we need to step up our efforts and ensure a proper follow-
up in terms of establishing working groups on key issues, such as improvement of carbon capture
technologies, CO2 transport infrastructures, industrial hubs decarbonization, project financing and
international cooperation (R&I, standardization), among others. Composed by representatives of all
relevant stakeholders, these working groups will seek solutions and help to turn the shared vision that
has emerged at the Forum into concrete result-oriented actions and quantitative objectives over time.
IOGP Europe is registered as an ASBL under Belgian Law. Company number 0759.579.581.
Registered office: 188A Avenue de Tervuren, B-1150 Brussels, Belgium
