Joint venture
Eni and Snam are developing a CO2 storage facility off the coast of Ravenna that will use depleted gas fields to contain carbon hydroxide emissions from the industrial districts.
The Ravenna CCS project which involves building a CO2 storage infrastructure (Carbon Capture and Storage - CCS) in where emitted carbon dioxide is captured at source, transported and stored in exhausted gas fields in the Adriatic Sea. The goal is to contribute to reducing the emissions of energy-intensive and non-electrifiable industrial districts to make them more sustainable and competitive in the market, thereby creating the conditions for new opportunities for economic growth through decarbonization.
Thanks to the admission by the European Commission of the Callisto integrated Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) project to the list of Projects of Common Interest (PCI Projects), the Ravenna CO2 storage hub will play a key role in the creation of a high-tech international supply chain in the decarbonization sector.
Admission to the CIP project list gives the project potential access to the Connecting Europe Facility Fund (CEF), which provides non-repayable funding to support the study and development of infrastructure for the capture, transport and storage of CO2.
The project involves the permanent geological storage of carbon dioxide captured from third-party industrial chimneys and transported via underground pipelines or by ship to the Casalborsetti pumping station.
Eni (Operator) and Snam are developing the Ravenna CCS project and start the CO2 injection activities related to Phase 1 of Ravenna CCS, the first project for the capture, transport and permanent storage of CO2 in Italy carried out for environmental purposes only, to contribute to the decarbonisation of industrial sectors.
Phase 1 aims to capture, transport, and store 25 thousand tonnes of CO2 per year from Eni's natural gas treatment plant in Casalborsetti, Ravenna. Once captured, the carbon dioxide is transported through pipelines—previously used for natural gas and now repurposed—to the Porto Corsini Mare Ovest offshore platform. There, it is injected into the depleted gas field at a depth of about 3,000 meters.
The plant captures over 90% of the CO2 from the power plant’s emissions, which have a concentration of less than 3% and are at atmospheric pressure. These are among the most challenging conditions industrially, showcasing the high efficiency of the capture system developed in Ravenna.
With the subsequent launch of Phase 2, the Ravenna project is set to become the CCS reference hub for Southern Europe and the Mediterranean. It will play a significant role in combating climate change and offer a practical solution to maintain the competitiveness of Italian industries. By preserving existing jobs and creating new ones through the project's supply chain, Ravenna CCS supports both economic and environmental goals. Additionally, it will be crucial in decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors, which is essential for meeting climate and carbon neutrality targets by 2050.
Exploiting the great capacity of the Adriatic sea’s depleted natural gas fields, the Ravenna hub is set to become one of the world's largest CO2 storage sites and the largest in the Mediterranean.
The project envisages a 25,000-tonne Phase 1, starting in 2024. Once Phase 1 is completed, we will proceed - from 2027 - with the Phase 2, for which we plan to store up to 4 million tonnes of CO2 per year, out of a total storage capacity of 500 Mtonnes, to contribute to the decarbonisation of industries and hard-to-abate sectors. From 2030 onwards, the significant capacity of these reservoirs, estimated at over 500 million tonnes, could allow for an increase in volume, potentially reaching more 16 million tonnes per year, depending on market demand.
Year of industrial phase of CO2 storage
Annual CO2 injection
capacity by 2030
Annual CO2 injection
capacity beyond 2030
Total CO2 storage capacity in the fields
The project is able to immediately reduce up to 90% of CO2 emissions from related production activities, such as those from thermal power plants or the so-called hard-to-abate sectors (e.g. (cement, steel, chemical and petrochemical industries, etc.), which lack effective decarbonization solutions in the short to medium term. By harmonising Eni's extensive knowledge of reservoirs with Snam's decades of experience in natural gas transport and storage and the world's most advanced techniques in emissions capture, the depleted gas reservoirs under the Adriatic sea will be repurposed, thus helping Italy and Europe reach their decarbonization targets. In the meantime, regardless of this new industrial plan, the production of natural gas is on track to be fully phased out in the coming years, in line with the decommissioning strategies agreed with the relevant authorities. Natural gas production from fields converted in this way will cease completely.
Upgrading
The full execution of the Ravenna CCS project will make it possible to upgrade and enhance of already available skills, for example in logistics and offshore operations - sectors known for their highly skilled workforce. The conversion of approximately 10% of the current infrastructure, such as pipelines and offshore facilities, will not only accelerate the achievement of ambitious decarbonization targets at controlled costsand, at the same time, to minimise the impact of the project on the local area to zero.
Growth and Sustainability
In addition to contributing to Italian and European decarbonization targets, the Ravenna CCS project has the potential to bring significant economic benefits to Ravenna's industrial district and, more broadly, to the entire Italian manufacturing sector. The ability to capture industrial emissions will usher in an ecosystem of products and services characterised by reduced CO2 emissions, stimulating both economic growth and job creation. A key element to highlight is the minimisation of the risk of companies relocating to non-EU countries that offer more relaxed environmental standards. The trend, known as “carbon leakage”, not only damages the competitiveness of the eurozone's economy, but is also detrimental to the common goal of curbing global greenhouse gas emissions. The presence of a large hub in the area dedicated to the capture and storage of CO2 emissions will not only serve to preserve the district's competitiveness, but will also increase its attractiveness with respect to national and international companies seeking to embark on new sustainable industrial initiatives.
Eni and Snam are developing a carbon capture and storage (CCS) project to reduce emissions from “hard to abate” industrial facilities.
Eni and Snam are developing a carbon capture and storage (CCS) project to reduce emissions from “hard to abate” industrial facilities.
Joint venture
