Actions to boost the value chain of CO2 Capture, Transport, Use and Storage (CCUS) technologies
HUB NORTE – A reference project for industrial decarbonization
The Basque Energy Agency (EVE), together with Enagás and some of the main industries in the Basque Country, Navarre and Cantabria, is promoting the development of the North Hub, a strategic project aimed at creating the first large integrated infrastructure for the capture, transport, use and storage of CO₂ (CCUS) in the Cantabrian coast. Its objective is to facilitate the decarbonization of industrial sectors with emissions difficult to abate, aligning with European climate goals and with initiatives such as Hard to Zero, framed in the Basque Country Industry Plan 2030.
The North Hub proposes the coordinated design of the entire CO₂ value chain: from capture in industrial facilities to transport through specific logistical infrastructures—including dedicated pipelines, a temporary storage and liquefaction terminal, and associated maritime infrastructures—for geological storage and/or valorisation. This comprehensive approach will make it possible to optimise costs, improve the viability of capture projects and strengthen the industrial competitiveness of the territory.
The project will be progressively extended to other industries and regions of the north, within the framework of the COnet2 North Hub, included in the provisional list of Projects of Common Interest (PCI) of the European Union, which underlines its strategic relevance in the state and European energy transition.
Shared leadership and role of EVE
The design of the CO₂ logistics infrastructures will be jointly led by Enagás and the Basque Government through EVE, based on the Enagás Transportes del Norte (ETN) network and the Bahia de Bizkaia Gas (BBG) plant, both companies involved by Enagás and EVE.
This work is also carried out in coordination with Nortegas, reinforcing the collaborative and multisectoral nature of the initiative.
At the same time, the industrial companies involved —Petronor, Heidelberg, Calcinor and Terresis Centro de Magnesitas Navarras— are making progress in their own capture projects, while some of them are also studying CO₂ valorisation technologies, enhancing the circular dimension of the North Hub and opening up new industrial opportunities for the territory.
A model of public private collaboration
The North Hub represents a milestone of collaboration between administration, infrastructure operator and industry, aimed at building a strategic corridor of CO₂ management in northern Spain. This common structure allows:
- Develop an efficient and coherent logistics infrastructure.
- Optimize the transport and storage costs of CO₂.
- Improve the competitiveness and viability of related industrial projects.
- Submit joint applications for European financing instruments such as the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) and the Innovation Fund.
Aligned with the energy strategy of the Basque Country
The participation of EVE in the North Hub is part of its role as an energy agency of the Basque Government, responsible for promoting policies of energy efficiency, electrification, diversification of supply and development of new energy vectors. Their participation reinforces the commitment to innovative solutions that allow us to move towards a viable industrial model, sustainable and aligned with climate neutrality.
Development of the CO₂ transport infrastructure
The Basque Energy Agency (EVE) has signed, together with Enagás and Scale Green Energy (SGE), a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at promoting the coordinated development of the land transport infrastructure of the COnet2 North CO2 Hub”, a key project to advance the decarbonization of the Euskadi industry and neighbouring communities. This agreement establishes the framework for collaboration to analyze, design and prepare the future network of pipelines, as well as the liquefaction and CO₂ export terminal in the Port of Bilbao, fundamental elements of the CCUS value chain in the Basque Country.
A common framework for promoting industrial decarbonisation
This infrastructure will connect CO₂ emitting and using plants with the port terminal for liquefaction and export, enabling a safe and efficient CO₂ transport corridor in the region.
The planned deployment covers the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country and may be extended to neighbouring territories, maintaining flexibility to incorporate new emitting plants and new industrial projects that contribute to improving the viability of the whole.
The role of EVE
As an energy agency of the Basque Government, EVE participates in this agreement providing its technical, economic and regulatory knowledge, in addition to exercising an essential institutional coordination role to ensure that the development of the project is aligned with the energy and climate priorities of the Basque Country.
The role of EVE is therefore strengthened within the Transformer Project “Decarbonization Valley 2025‑2032”, in which the agency leads the development of key infrastructures for industrial decarbonization, such as the North Hub itself and the network of CO₂ pipelines included in it.
Joint governance and future structure
The agreement provides for the possibility of developing the infrastructure taking advantage of the experience and assets of Bahia de Bizkaia Gas (BBG) and Enagás Transportes del Norte (ETN), companies jointly owned by EVE and Enagás. In the event that this route is not regulatively viable, it is planned to create new vehicle companies (SPV) with joint participation between the Enagás Group and the EVE Group to address the development of both the land pipelines and the liquefaction terminal in the port of Bilbao.
Sustainability commitments and good practices
The agreement incorporates solid commitments in terms of ethics, sustainability, human rights, environment and cybersecurity, ensuring that all project actions will be carried out under the highest international standards. These guarantees also extend to the value chain, reinforcing shared responsibility in the energy transition of the territory.
Other actions in the field of CCUS
Project for the valorisation of biogenic CO₂ in the Ecoparque de Artigas
The Basque Energy Agency (EVE), through its participation in the public company formed together with Garbiker and PreZero, promotes the development of a strategic project oriented to the production of biomethane and the valorisation of biogenic CO₂ generated in the Ecoparque de Artigas, in Alonsotegi‑Bilbao. The company is composed of Garbiker (26%), EVE/CADEM (25%) and PreZero (49%), combining public and private capabilities to accelerate advanced decarbonization solutions.
Objectives of the project
The initiative pursues three main goals:
- Construction of a biomethanization plant that allows to obtain biomethane from the organic waste treated in the Ecoparque.
- Injection of biomethane into the natural gas transport network operated by Enagás Transportes del Norte, favouring the replacement of fossil fuels with renewable gas of local origin.
- Recovery and valorisation of biogenic CO₂, enabling its use in industrial and energy applications that contribute to the circular economy and the reduction of emissions.
Technology and planned stages
The project is currently in the study and feasibility analysis phase, evaluating different technological alternatives to ensure its efficiency and regulatory compliance. The process studied includes several key stages:
- Filtration of the gas.
- Compression of CO₂.
- Drying of the CO₂.
- Adsorption column (stripping).
- Refrigeration.
- Storage of liquid CO₂, including the installation of a 50 m³ cryogenic tank.
- Shipment of CO₂ in a tank for its safe transport.
- Compliance with the regulations of pressure equipment, essential for this type of installation.
This technological approach will make it possible to have biogenic CO₂ in optimal conditions for its industrial use or for its future integration into transport networks.
Possible uses of biogenic CO₂
The recovered and conditioned CO₂ could be used for various strategic applications for the decarbonization of the productive fabric:
- Demonstration plant of mineralization “Ecoarides” of the Port of Bilbao, where CO₂ would be used in accelerated carbonation processes.
- Production of synthetic fuels in the demo plant of the Port of Bilbao, combining biogenic CO₂ with green hydrogen.
- Future connection with the Euskadi CO₂ Network, integrating into the transport infrastructure of the North Hub and contributing to its consolidation as a regional CO₂ management corridor.
