Introduction
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is moving from the laboratory to large-scale industrial operations. In September 2026, Yara inaugurated what it describes as Europe’s largest industrial carbon capture facility at its ammonia and fertilizer plant in Sluiskil, the Netherlands.
The facility can capture up to 800,000 tonnes of CO₂ every year from ammonia production.
How Does the System Work?
The process involves three major steps:
- Capture
- Transport and
- Permanent storage
CO₂ produced during ammonia manufacturing is captured and liquefied at the Sluiskil facility. It is then loaded onto specialised ships operated by Northern Lights and transported to Øygarden in Norway.
From there, the CO₂ is injected into a geological storage formation approximately 2,600 metres beneath the seabed.
In simple terms:
Ammonia plant → CO₂ capture → Liquefaction → Ship transport → Underground storage
12 Million Tonnes Over 15 Years
Yara expects the project to capture and permanently store approximately 12 million tonnes of CO₂ over 15 years. The annual capture of 800,000 tonnes is equivalent to roughly 0.5% of the Netherlands’ annual emissions, according to Yara.
The project is also significant because it creates a complete cross-border CO₂ value chain, from capture in the Netherlands to transportation and storage in Norway.
Why Target Ammonia and Fertilizer Production?
Ammonia is an important industrial chemical and a key ingredient in nitrogen fertilizers. Conventional ammonia production can generate substantial CO₂ emissions.
CCS allows some of these emissions to be captured without completely replacing the existing production system.
Yara says this can support the production of lower-carbon fertilizers and ammonia, while also creating opportunities for lower-carbon applications in shipping and industry.
Is CCS a Complete Climate Solution?
CCS is not a substitute for reducing fossil-fuel consumption and improving energy efficiency.
Its role is particularly relevant for hard-to-abate industries such as fertilizers, cement, steel and chemicals, where eliminating process emissions can be difficult.
The scale also remains important. Global CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels are measured in tens of billions of tonnes annually, making projects such as Yara’s significant but relatively small compared with the global challenge.
The Bigger Picture
Yara’s project demonstrates that carbon capture can operate across an international value chain rather than simply being an isolated technology at a factory. As more industries face pressure to reduce emissions, infrastructure for CO₂ transportation, storage and carbon management could become an important part of the emerging industrial decarbonization economy.
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