North Jutland business lighthouse is turning up the power

The debate article is published by Nordjyske

In two years, CO2Vision has developed from being – yes, a vision – to concrete tests of technologies and necessary upskilling of the workforce in North Jutland.

In a joint effort from, among others, companies, educational and research institutions, business promoters, ministries, municipalities and the EU, the vision has come a long way in a short time in relation to making North Jutland an international pioneer region for CO2 capture, use, transport and storage (CCUS).

CCUS should be seen as one coherent value chain. Based on that mindset, CO2Vision has worked to clarify potentials and challenges in relation to the infrastructure for the collection of CO2 from North Jutland point sources, with the future energy system, with CO2 and hydrogen transport and the roles of North Jutland ports in the transport and storage of CO2.

A total of eight test sites have been established, where solutions within the capture, transport, use and storage of CO2 have been tested and demonstrated. Companies, the university, municipalities and other stakeholders in the industry have teamed up on the individual test sites.

Here, capture from biogas plants for the production of methanol, capture of CO2 from heating plants and subsequent underground storage, capture of CO2 from Randers Tegl, testing of hydrogen and transport of hydrogen, and finally green methanol in the transport sector have been tested.

This work is the foundation for the further development and scaling of the CCUS technologies, and another step towards profitable and commercial capture, use, transport and storage of CO2.

The development and energy efficiency of the necessary technologies is one side of the vision. Another is the development of the green employees of the future. For companies, this is a new potential business area.

Therefore, various network events have been established across subject groups, upskilling of subject teachers at the vocational schools, and new cooperation structures and relationships have been established across vocational schools, the university, MARTEC and UCN.

Students from North Jutland's educational institutions have begun to collaborate on solving green cases for small and medium-sized companies.

The machinists of the future already solve tasks in collaboration with engineers from the university and urban planners from UCN during their studies, and in this way, professional and social working relationships are already established, before the meeting on the labor market for green transition.

But it doesn't stop here. CO2Vision expects to activate approx. 20 new demonstration projects in North Jutland over the course of a year and a half. New technologies and methods must be tested here. Several small and medium-sized companies will also join the business adventure.

This must be done through training of employees and guidance of the companies.

We are well underway, and together we must further develop the capture, use, transport and storage of CO2 and build the position of strength we have set for ourselves.