Vopak's CO2next project enters FEED phase

Vopak’s CO2next project has entered the front-end engineering design (FEED) phase, with the company awarding the FEED contract to the engineering and technology group Sener, as announced on June 5.

CO2next aims to build a liquid CO2 terminal at the Maasvlakte in the port of Rotterdam. This terminal will enable customers not connected to a CO2 pipeline to ship liquid CO2, serving as a critical piece of CO2 infrastructure within the carbon capture and storage (CCS) chain.

The technical feasibility and development of this CCS chain are being jointly explored with the Aramis CCS project, to which the terminal will be connected.

During the FEED phase, the design, realisation schedule, and cost of the proposed CO2next terminal will be further defined. Additionally, relevant permits will be obtained, and customers will be contracted in preparation for the final investment decision (FID), which is currently planned for 2025.

The terminal will have the capacity to receive and deliver liquid CO2 via vessels and will be connected to depleted gas fields in the North Sea via the Aramis trunkline for storage. It will also be integrated into other CCS chains and potential future carbon utilisation industry applications.

The terminal is expected to have a launch capacity of approximately 5.4mn tonnes/year, with the potential to expand to around 15mn tonnes/year, depending on market demand and the development of the Aramis project and other CCS chains, according to Vopak.

Following the FID planned for 2025, subject to permit approvals from relevant authorities, the CO2next terminal is anticipated to commence commercial operations in 2028. Shell and TotalEnergies have joined the development of the CO2next project, which has been led by Gasunie and Vopak to date.