CO2 Transport and Storage Integration in the Black Sea: A Romanian-Ukrainian Scenario under the CTS Project

The CTS (CO2 Transport and Storage) project explores cost-effective, flexible CO2 shipping and storage solutions to accelerate carbon capture and storage (CCS) deployment in Europe. Among the regions studied, the Black Sea scenario stands out due to possible cross-border collaboration between Romania and Ukraine.

Romania’s CTS scenario involves transporting CO2 from industrial hubs (Călărași and Constanța) via rail and river to the Midia port, with three offshore transport scenarios—pipeline, conventional shipping, and direct ship-to-reservoir injection. CO2 would be stored in saline aquifers and depleted oil and gas fields, with a combined estimated capacity of 147 Mt.

Ukrainian scenario targets emissions from Odesa and Mykolaiv regions, with transport through key ports to offshore formations (Holitsyna, Arkhangelske, Shtormove), with an estimated total storage capacity of 9.39 Mt. Three scenarios are also analyzed, involving pipeline, conventional shipping and direct ship injection.

A joint Black Sea scenario envisions shared storage sites and infrastructure, enhancing flexibility and cost-efficiency. Challenges include low data availability, high initial costs, and Ukraine’s geopolitical instability. If implemented, the scenario could support over 15 years of storage of combined captured CO2 emissions and position the Black Sea as a key CCS hub in Europe.