Iconic Copenhagen waste-to-energy plant may soon report negative CO2 emissions

Energy company E.ON and waste management company ARC are planning to build a CO2 capture facility at the iconic Amager Bakke waste-to-energy plant in Copenhagen, also known as CopenHill. The project is conditional on securing financial support in a tender for projects focused on carbon capture and storage (CCS) organised by the Danish Energy Agency. 

E.ON said in a press release that, if the project goes ahead, up to 400 thousand tonnes of CO2 emissions could be captured at the Amager Bakke plant each year. The captured emissions would then be stored underground.

Under an agreement signed by E.ON and ARC, the project will enter the pre-qualification phase of the tender organised by the Danish Energy Agency. The companies said that implementation of the project depends on securing financial support through this scheme.

"Electrification can reduce a large share of CO2 emissions. However, we still do not have technologies that would eliminate the need to manage in an environmentally responsible way sorted waste that cannot be reused or recycled. Using sorted waste to produce heat and electricity for communities and businesses is the best available solution. Waste-to-energy nevertheless still faces challenges: CO2 emissions from the process," said Marten Bunnemann, CEO of E.ON Energy Infrastructure Solutions.

Some of the CO2 emissions from the Amager Bakke plant come from organic materials, such as contaminated paper or cardboard. According to E.ON, these emissions can be classified as biogenic, and capturing them will therefore result in so-called negative CO2 emissions, as emissions are permanently removed from the atmosphere and the natural carbon cycle.

"Negative emissions can be sold as climate credits—specifically, Carbon Removal Credits (CRCs). These credits will be traded on voluntary markets, where companies can buy them either for offsetting or contribution purposes," E.ON added.