Schwenk participates in the Bifrost CCS project in the North Sea

The building materials company Schwenk has acquired a stake in the Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) project Bifrost. The project is one of the most significant CCS initiatives in the North Sea. It is based on licenses for CO₂ storage in three depleted gas fields in the North Sea – Harald West, Harald East, and the saline aquifer Dagny, located about 200 kilometers west of the Danish coast. In addition, the project plans to use existing offshore pipelines for the transport of CO₂ to the storage sites.

With a storage capacity of up to 335 million tons of CO₂, the project aims to establish Denmark as an important hub for CO₂ storage in Europe. Recognized by the EU as a Project of Common Interest (PCI) and a Project of Mutual Interest (PMI), Bifrost will benefit from a significantly simplified permitting process.

Schwenk has acquired a 35% stake in the project. A further 45% is held by TotalEnergies Denmark, while the Danish State Subsurface Resource Company Nordsøfonden owns 20%. The project partners also include the German gas infrastructure operators VNG and Ontras.

Through its participation in Bifrost, the building materials company aims to reduce its CO₂ emissions in the long term. Around two-thirds of these emissions are unavoidable due to the raw materials used in clinker production, particularly during the decarbonation of limestone. Without CCS, it is impossible to eliminate these emissions, Schwenk emphasized in its press release.

“Carbon Capture and Storage is a key component of our decarbonization strategy. By participating in the Bifrost project, we are creating an essential foundation to gradually achieve our goal of establishing the first climate-neutral plant in Europe by 2030,” said Thomas Spannagl, CEO of Schwenk.

This cooperation with the project partners demonstrates how industry and CCS developers can work together effectively to develop practical solutions for achieving climate targets, the Ulm-based building materials company stated.