Beccus (Biobased Energy, Carbon Capture, Utilisation & Storage): the development of a new, unique technology

The project

RWE's ambition is to achieve negative emissions at the Eemshaven and Amer power plants in the coming years, provided that it is technically and economically feasible to do so. BECCUS (Bio-Energy Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage) projects can supply a total of 11-14 Mt of carbon dioxide removals per annum, an important contribution towards the achievement of Dutch CO₂ climate targets. RWE’s BECCUS projects will play a vital role in helping create a decarbonised electricity system in the Netherlands.

Along with the large-scale expansion of wind and solar energy, flexible, controllable power is also needed for days when insufficient volumes of wind and solar are available. That is where RWE’s power plants have an important role to play. RWE is planning to make its gas-fired power plants suitable for green or blue hydrogen or the capture of CO₂ in order not to become dependent on one type of technology.

With the BECCUS project we produce electricity with sustainable biomass This is residual wood from production forests and waste from from industrial sawmills, e.g. sawdust. The CO₂ released in the process of producing electricity will be captured and transported by pipeline or ship for storage deep beneath the seabed in the North Sea in depleted gas fields or off the coast of Norway where work on such projects is already underway. Capturing the atmospheric CO₂ temporarily locked in biomass and permanently storing it in geological formations generates 'negative' CO₂ emissions, key to attaining net zero targets. In the future, we expect CO₂ from biomass to become a resource that can be used to produce green biofuels and bioplastics, for example.

Why this project?

Creating a sustainable energy system is at the heart of RWE’s business strategy, which is why RWE aims to reduce its emissions in line with the 1.5-degree reduction pathway, as agreed in the Paris Agreement. RWE also aims to phase out the use of coal by around 2030 and to be climate-neutral by around 2040. This also fits in well with the climate targets of the Dutch government to reduce emissions by 55-60% by 2030 (in line with the Paris Agreement) and by 95% by 2050. These targets cannot be achieved without removing CO₂ from the atmosphere, according to both the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Our contribution

The aim of the BECCUS projects is to permanently store and reuse CO₂ of sustainable, biogenic origin captured at RWE’s Amer and Eemshaven power plants. This will result in 11-14 megatons of negative CO₂ emissions per annum as of 2030, which amounts to 7-9% of the total annual CO₂ emissions from the Netherlands. By way of comparison: according to PBL, advisory body on energy and climate to the Dutch government, the government still has a gap of between 12 and 36 megatons of CO₂ to fill in order to meet the climate targets. RWE’s efforts will make an important contribution towards this.

Driven by RWE’s mission 'Our energy for a sustainable life' and in line with the Growing Green strategy, RWE also wants to become a company that removes CO₂ from the atmosphere at an accelerated rate in the Netherlands. This is a clear choice on our part to break with the past, when gas and coal were the main types of fuel. Our aim is for both the Amer power plant and the Eemshaven power plant to act as links in a completely closed CO₂ cycle in the long term.

Eemshaven power plant at a glance

00 MWe (megawatt electrical)

Installed capacity

Approximately 00 million tons per annum

CO2-negative emissions

Current licence 00 %

biomass

Amer power plant at a glance

00 MWe (megawatt electrical)

Installed capacity

Approximately 00 million tons per annum

CO2-negative emissions

00 %

biomass in 2024

CO₂-neutral electricity production with BECCUS

As of 2024, in addition to coal Amer and Eemshaven power plants are running on organic residuals (biomass) which account for an 80% and 20% share of fuel, respectively. This means that a corresponding share of electricity production is CO₂-neutral. We chose to run the power plants on sustainable biomass in order to produce green energy and remove CO₂ from the atmosphere.

Since the industrial revolution, fossil fuels have been used on large scale in order to increase production and improve our standard of living. However, the burning of fossil fuels results in the release of CO₂ into the atmosphere, with negative consequences for the climate and human health.

The burning of biomass does not result in any net additional emissions of CO₂ into the atmosphere because the amount of CO₂ absorbed from the air during the growth of biomass is the same as the amount emitted later on during its combustion. This is referred to as being CO₂-neutrality.

For the BECCUS project, CO₂ will be absorbed from the atmosphere during the growth of biomass but will never be emitted again as it will be permanently stored deep underneath the seabed in the North Sea. Because CO₂ is removed net from the atmosphere, this is referred to as negative emissions.

In the future, it will not be needed to store all the biogenic CO₂ from biomass, it can also be used as a resource for the production of biofuels (CO₂-neutral) or bioplastics. However, it will not be used on a large scale at the start of the project.

Development, schedule and licenses

In June 2023, RWE presented the BECCUS project to the government and industry, among others, in The Hague. Provided that it is technically and economically feasible, the plan is to start generating carbon removals from 2028.

The project is currently in the design phase. RWE expects to submit the licence application for the project during the first half of 2024. Both Amer and Eemshaven power plants could be fully converted by 2029. Local residents living around Amer power plant were informed at the end of 2023 followed by those living near Eemshaven power plant at the start of 2024. Over the next few years, RWE will continue to keep local residents updated regarding the progress of the project and the potential consequences for them.

Sustainable biomass

The biomass that RWE uses at the Amer and Eemshaven power plants is sustainable, which is an important prerequisite for RWE, today and in the future. It is also the reason why a few years ago, RWE concluded the Biomass Sustainability Covenant, along with other companies, nature and environmental organisations. This covenant contains a set of criteria for the use of biomass which underlines the Netherlands’ position as the front runner when it comes to the sustainability of biomass. Every year, CE Delft has the task of establishing that biomass used in the Netherlands also meets these criteria – and every year, that has been confirmed. In addition, an independent accredited auditor carries out an annual check on sustainability in connection with the SDE++ subsidy. That auditor then issues a so-called conformity year statement, which the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency require in order to be able to grant any SDE subsidy. This statement is also issued annually.

According to the covenant, sustainability means using wood originating from forests that are sustainably managed among other things. The wood from those forests is used in construction, the production of furniture and other applications. Harvesting and processing the wood generates millions of tons of residual products ranging from branches, thinnings and rotten and crooked trees to sawdust from sawmills. These residues are turned into pellets that are easy to transport.

Timber producers ensure that as little usable wood as possible enters the biomass chain for producing energy. The price of usable wood is more than four times higher than the price of biomass. In the Netherlands, the task of checking that residues used to create biomass actually originated from properly managed forests and sawmills is carried out based on the Biomass Sustainability Covenant. Every year, CE Delft publishes a report which states whether producers have complied with the requirements. Every year, RWE has obtained approval. Also, as of 2025 the EU Deforestation Regulation will come into force, providing an additional guarantee.
Conditioning chain for pipeline transport

The possibilities for transporting the captured CO₂ to the storage location are being investigated: it can be done via a pipeline or by ship. Talks have been held with parties regarding storing the CO₂ in the North Sea off the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Norway or Denmark. CO₂ is already being stored in a number of places following strict environmental and safety requirements.
Building chains: a sustainable boost to the economy

RWE, together with its national and international suppliers, wants to build a value chain to ensure the optimum utilisation of both biomass and biogenic CO₂, resulting in a neutral – and even negative – CO₂ balance. In the future, the Netherlands and Europe can play an important role in supplying green carbon to replace fossil CO₂ in numerous products (fuels, plastics and building materials). With this in mind, RWE is building new activities and business models along with a wide range of companies.

The development of a new, unique technology

BECCUS (Biobased Energy, Carbon Capture, Utilisation & Storage)