The political conversations about carbon capture and storage (CCS) have reached a temporary conclusion. The federal government has decided to initiate a draft bill that will also allow CCS and CCU in Germany. With the draft amendment to the Carbon Dioxide Storage Act (KSpG), the federal government primarily intends to create a clear framework for developing CO2 pipeline infrastructure and enable the offshore storage of CO2. The bill will now proceed to the German parliament and federal council, where it will be subject to parliamentary consultation. As a result, the day draws closer when CCS will be permitted in Germany beyond the research phase. After all, reducing the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere will require sequestering gas underground. Empty oil and gas fields at sea are suitable for this purpose, giving seaports an important new role. Some of the carbon dioxide will be handled here.

"Handling operations
are mostly
automated
here.“

Jörg Bargest
Business Development and
Commercial Manager at Evos

CO2 is already handled at the Port of Hamburg today – as a highly valuable product for the food industry. Evos is a company that has been handing this special carbon dioxide for many years now, operating its own specially procured tanks. “The current setup offers around 1,200 cubic metres of capacity,” explains Jörg Bargest, Business Development & Commercial Manager
at Evos in Hamburg, “handling operations aremostly automated here.” As soon as ships dock at the bridge, unloading still begins manually. At least the connections need to be made for the unloading process to begin. Everything else runs automatically. This also applies to further transport. The tank truck drivers are equipped with corresponding cards. They take care of the whole process at the filling station independently. “We generally only provide our customers parts of our infrastructure and the space for the storage tanks. Everything else is organised entirely by the customer,” adds Bargest.

With a storage capacity of 670,000 cubic metres and nine moorings, Evos is broadly positioned in Hamburg. In addition to conventional petroleum products, Evos is working full-steam on the future. “We want to handle even more biofuels like HVO in the future, but we also have handling operations for green ammonia or methanol and other hydrogen derivatives and carriers firmly in our sights.

What’s more, we are already talking to companies about how and in what quantities we could handle carbon dioxide for CCS plants,” says Jörg Bargest. “The Northern Lights project in Norway could become an actual use-case.” Bargest also believes in the possibility to support future customers in marketing their existing green CO2 in addition to loading fossil CO2.

For Evos, the prospects of handling CO2 for storage in the near future are good. There are not only nine moorings for seafaring vessels. The company also offers its customers excellent handling capacity for inland transport. For instance, the employees dispatch up to seven full trains every day. Moreover, there are eleven loading platforms for tank trucks. There would also be space for additional tanks on site. According to Bargest, the current storage capacity for CO2 could be expanded by at least 10,000 cubic metres at any time and connected to the railway network. The area potential on the site, however, scarcely offers any room for much larger plans. Storage capacity with links to productive railway infrastructure would favour transports from inland regions, as CO2 pipelines would presumably only be available in the medium to long term and also only in certain areas. Carbon storage is no problem for the professionals at Evos. It would be stored at a temperature of -25 degrees Celsius and a pressure of 15 bar.

The extent to which carbon dioxide will be handled at the Port of Hamburg in the future is also a political question. Pipeline projects have so far been planned with other locations. However, until these plans become reality, the Port of Hamburg offers ideal conditions for handling carbon dioxide with its extensive railway infrastructure and inland ship links. This is especially true for polluters with a direct connection to Hamburg. According to a study by DNV, the volume for Hamburg could reach up to 3.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year in an optimistic scenario. And Evos is ready

Evos in Hamburg

• 149 tanks with a capacity of 1,000–25,000 m3 for a total of 670,000 m3
• Five bridges with a total of nine moorings
• Ships of up to 250 m, 85,000 dwt and 12.5 m draught
• Seven tank wagon loading facilities for a capacity of up to seven full trains per day
• 11 tank truck loading platforms
• Two connecting lines to neighbouring plants