Energie Beheer Nederland (EBN), Eni Netherlands CCUS, Gasunie, Open Grid Europe (OGE), Shell and TotalEnergies EP Nederland have signed a Memorandum of Understanding. The parties agreed to collaborating on the development of an interoperable, cross border CO₂ pipeline network connecting industrial clusters in North Rhine Westphalia with offshore storage locations in the Dutch North Sea, including an integration with the Aramis project.
The agreement represents a significant milestone in the realisation of the Delta Rhine Corridor (DRC), a planned underground pipeline system designed to transport CO₂ from western Germany and the Netherlands at scale to depleted gas fields beneath the seabed via the Aramis offshore pipeline.
The collaboration between Dutch and German partners underscores the importance of coordinated European action. Germany hosts significant 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 from many industrial 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 vital technology for those companies to decarbonize in a cost-effective way.
Therefore, CCS infrastructure is becoming a critical enabler for safeguarding Europe’s industrial competitiveness and supporting its climate objectives. The DRC will provide one of the first major cross-border CO2 routes in Europe, creating a reliable pathway for industries to access offshore storage sites and leveraging economies of scale. The DRC will also enable a future connection to Belgium via the Delta Schelde Co₂nnection project, supporting the emergence of a broader, integrated pan-European CO₂ network.
All MoU signatories are active in CO₂ transport and storage and share the ambition to establish an interoperable, cross-border pipeline-based Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) value chain aiming to be operational from 2033 onward. First parts of the pipeline corridor in the Netherlands aim to be operational in 2032 already. Until the pipeline-based Dutch-German CO₂ transport system is in place, customers are able to make use of the ship-and rail-based CO₂-infrastructure to enable offshore transport and storage via the Aramis project. Aramis is aiming for a final investment decision in 2027 and an operational start in 2030.
In the coming months, the MoU signatories will coordinate on a non-binding basis on matters such as advocacy and communication, a transparent customer journey and technical alignment of the Delta Rhine Corridor and Aramis: a Dutch-German CO₂ pipeline transport and storage system.
Aramis Programme Director Annemarie Manger: “In the Aramis project team, and with our value chain partner, we truly believe that cooperation is key in tackling all major societal challenges. Cooperation between private companies, in public private partnerships and with governments. And, last but not least, between countries and good neighbors. Like Germany and The Netherlands. Aramis, as a crucial part of the CCS value chain in the Netherlands, is looking forward to the cooperation with Germany and to accommodate German CO2 volumes. We hope that the signing of the Delta Rhine Corridor-Aramis MoU and the presence of the President and the King today will further encourage cross border interaction, understanding and foremost concrete actions.”
