Recap of the latest EERA Joint Online Workshop

On 27 March 2026, the EERA Joint Programmes CCS, e3s, EEIP and Smart Cities jointly organised the online workshop “Exploring the Non-Technical Challenges of CCUS Deployment in Cities and Industry”, with the initial idea stemming from EERA CCS.

The workshop set out to explore how carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) can be implemented across urban environments and industrial systems, while addressing key challenges related to governance, market conditions, societal acceptance and innovation pathways. At its core, the session aimed to foster dialogue and knowledge exchange, creating a shared space where different research perspectives could meet. This marked the first collaboration of this kind between the four EERA Joint Programmes.

From challenges to opportunities

Despite significant technological progress, the wider roll-out of CCUS is still influenced by a range of technical and systemic constraints. These include cost structures, regulatory frameworks, infrastructure requirements, market readiness and societal acceptance.
From a technological perspective, key questions remain around how emissions can be captured efficiently, reused as a resource, or transported and stored securely.
At the same time, broader considerations play an equally important role. These relate to the design of enabling policies, the development of viable business models, and the question of how public trust and acceptance can be strengthened at local level.

Learning from practice

The session offered a series of snapshots from ongoing projects:

• From Trondheim, Dr.ing. Marie Bysveen, EERA Joint Programme CCS and Chief Market Developer at SINTEF Energy and Coordinator of the, shared how cities can act as testbeds for climate neutrality through the NetZeroCities initiative. Her presentation of the ACCESS project illustrated how complete CCUS value chains can be designed to be efficient, safe and adaptable, bridging the gap between concept and application.

• The human dimension of CCUS came into focus through Marco Ugolini, Managing Director at CA.RE.FOR. Engineering, who presented a structured approach to assessing social impacts within the EMPHATICAL project. His contribution highlighted a key point: societal implications must be understood and addressed when developing and deploying new technologies, approaches and innovations.

• Hazel Napier, Geoscience and Society Lead at the British Geological Survey, reinforced this perspective by emphasising the importance of local context and community engagement in CO₂ storage projects in the UK.

• Yolanda Lechon, Research Professor at CIEMAT, provided insights into the PilotSTRATEGY project, which investigates geological storage options in Southern and Eastern Europe, highlighting regional opportunities and challenges.

• Pınar Derin-Güre, Associate Professor of Economics at METU, broadened the discussion to include carbon dioxide removal through the C-SINK project. She emphasised the decisive role of policy frameworks and stakeholder involvement in scaling up solutions.

• Sonia Giovinazzi, Scientific Project Leader at ENEA and Coordinator of the EERA Joint Programme Smart Cities, brought the discussion into the urban context by highlighting what is needed to make CCUS deployment work in practice in cities. Building on a comparison between the JP Smart Cities SRIA and the challenges raised by the other experts during the workshop on urban CCUS deployment, she identified concrete opportunities for collaboration across all the verticals of the JP-SC SRIA and with the other Joint Programmes. She stressed that overcoming space and siting constraints, regulatory gaps, urban planning, environmental, and heritage challenges requires a genuinely multidisciplinary effort and creates a strong basis for joint work across the EERA Joint Programmes.

We thank all participants for their valuable insights and contributions, which made this workshop a meaningful starting point for future collaboration. Further exchanges are already in view. If you would like to learn more, we invite you to get in touch with the experts directly.