German-Dutch Alliance Advances Cross-Border CO₂ Network Development

A consortium of German and Dutch companies has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on the development of a cross-border CO₂ pipeline network. The network is intended to connect industrial clusters in North Rhine-Westphalia with offshore storage sites in the Dutch North Sea, including integration with the Aramis project. In addition to our member companies Open Grid Europe and Shell, as well as Gasunie, a member of DCMI, the partners include Energie Beheer Nederland (EBN), Eni Netherlands CCUS, and TotalEnergies EP Nederland.

The agreement represents a significant milestone in the realization of the Delta Rhine Corridor (DRC), a planned underground pipeline system designed to transport CO₂ at scale from western Germany and the Netherlands via the Aramis offshore pipeline to depleted gas fields beneath the seabed.

The collaboration between Dutch and German partners underscores the importance of coordinated European action. Germany hosts major industrial clusters with substantial CO₂ volumes, while the Netherlands offers offshore storage potential. The document highlights this shared ambition: “By joining forces, the partners aim to accelerate the development of a fully integrated, cross-border CO₂ network.”

As companies across sectors such as cement, lime, waste-to-energy, steel, and chemicals will continue to generate hard-to-abate emissions in the coming decades, CCS is a key technology to reduce these emissions in a cost-effective way.

CCS infrastructure is therefore becoming a critical enabler for safeguarding Europe’s industrial competitiveness and supporting its climate objectives. The DRC will create one of the first major cross-border CO₂ routes in Europe, providing industry with reliable access to offshore storage sites while leveraging economies of scale. In addition, the DRC will enable a future connection to Belgium via the Delta Schelde CO₂nnection project, supporting the development of a broader, integrated pan-European CO₂ network.

All MoU signatories are active in CO₂ transport and storage and share the ambition to establish a cross-border, pipeline-based CCS value chain that is expected to become operational from 2033 onward. Initial sections of the pipeline corridor in the Netherlands are planned to be operational as early as 2032. Until the pipeline-based Dutch-German CO₂ transport system is fully in place, customers will be able to use ship- and rail-based CO₂ infrastructure to enable offshore transport and storage via the Aramis project. A final investment decision for Aramis is targeted for 2027, with operations expected to start in 2030.

In the coming months, the MoU signatories will coordinate on a non-binding basis on topics including advocacy and communication, a transparent customer journey, and the technical alignment of the Delta Rhine Corridor and Aramis—with the aim of establishing a Dutch-German CO₂ transport and storage system.