This summer, Yara will begin operating Europe’s largest carbon capture and storage (CCS) project, marking a significant milestone for both the company and Europe’s journey towards a lower‑carbon future.
Located at Yara’s flagship ammonia and fertiliser plant in Sluiskil, the Netherlands, the project will capture and liquefy up to 800,000 tonnes of CO₂ each year. The captured carbon dioxide will then be transported by Northern Lights – part of Norway’s pioneering Longship project – and permanently stored 2.6 kilometres beneath the seabed on the Norwegian continental shelf.
Over the course of a 15‑year agreement, Northern Lights will transport and store 12 million tonnes of CO₂ from the Sluiskil facility. The annual emissions reduction is equivalent to around 0.5% of the Netherlands’ total greenhouse gas emissions, underlining the scale of the project’s climate impact.
The Sluiskil CCS project represents a major step forward in reducing emissions from one of Europe’s most important industrial sectors. It will also enable the production of lower‑carbon fertilisers and low‑carbon ammonia for use across the energy, shipping and industrial sectors.
Svein Tore Holsether, chief executive officer of Yara International, said: “CCS enables rapid decarbonisation. To secure Europe’s industrial competitiveness and reach our climate targets, we must urgently reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Yara’s CCS project in Sluiskil will deliver lower‑carbon fertiliser and low‑carbon ammonia for energy, shipping and industrial applications.”
As Europe works to balance industrial growth with ambitious climate commitments, carbon capture and storage is increasingly recognised as a vital technology for reducing emissions from sectors where alternatives remain limited.
The Sluiskil project is a cornerstone of Yara’s wider decarbonisation strategy. Today, the company produces around 1.2 million tonnes of hydrogen each year to manufacture ammonia and fertilisers.
Since 2005, Yara has reduced its Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 55% across its European operations and by 45% globally. Carbon capture and storage will play a crucial role in achieving the next stage of emissions reductions, helping the company remain on track to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.
The project also strengthens Yara’s growing portfolio of lower‑carbon solutions, including Yara Climate Choice Fertilisers, while supporting the production of low‑carbon ammonia for energy generation, maritime transport and industrial applications.
One of the lesser‑known advantages of the ammonia industry is that it has decades of experience in capturing and handling carbon dioxide.
Most ammonia plants in Europe use steam methane reforming (SMR), a process that naturally produces large volumes of high‑purity CO₂ as a by‑product. Rather than being a new capability, capturing, liquefying and safely managing CO₂ has long been part of ammonia production.
This captured CO₂ is already used in a wide range of everyday applications, including carbonated drinks, commercial greenhouses, fertiliser production and AdBlue, which helps reduce emissions from diesel vehicles.
Because the infrastructure, expertise and operational experience are already in place, the ammonia industry is uniquely positioned to scale up carbon capture and storage. By building on these existing capabilities, projects such as Yara’s Sluiskil facility can play a leading role in accelerating Europe’s industrial decarbonisation while supporting long‑term economic competitiveness.
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