Rhône CO2: success of the call for expressions of interest

30 September 2024

Committed to the energy transition, SPSE, a player in the long-distance transport and storage of liquid hydrocarbons, and Elengy, the incumbent operator of LNG terminals in France, launched a call for tenders last June with a view to developing a network of CO₂ transport infrastructures linking industrial sites in the Rhône valley to a liquefaction and export terminal at Fos-sur-Mer. This infrastructure network is designed for geological sequestration and CO₂ recovery.

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Following the success of this call for tender, SPSE and Elengy have launched their feasibility studies.

The call for expressions of interest (CEI) launched by SPSE and Elengy as part of the Rhône CO₂ project targeted all the players involved in setting up a CCUS (Carbon Capture Utilization & Storage) chain in one of France's most industrialised regions. It identified the CO₂ emitters as well as the promoters of a project to produce synthetic fuels using CO₂ who were interested and ready to commit to the development of the project and its infrastructures by 2030.

A total of 15 eligible companies signed up to this CEI, demonstrating the area's potential and the need for long-term development in CO₂ infrastructures.

Of these, 6 companies have committed to SPSE and Elengy to develop the first phase of the Rhône CO₂ project: Fibre Excellence, Heidelberg Materials, Lafarge, Vicat and Petroinéos as biogenic and fossil CO₂ emitters, and H2V as developer of a synthetic fuel production project.

On the basis of these commitments, SPSE and Elengy expect the Rhône CO₂ infrastructure to come on stream as early as 2030, with a ramp-up to a cumulative capacity of more than 2.7 Mtpa in 2035.

These results confirm industry's need for a solution to achieve its carbon neutrality objectives.

Fabien Poure, Chief Executive Officer of SPSE, commented: ‘I'm delighted to see the success of the “Rhône CO₂” CEI and the interest it has aroused among numerous partners. Their commitment bears witness to the importance of this ambitious project. I'm looking forward to working with all of them to set up this CCUS chain, which is essential for accelerating the decarbonisation of industry in the Rhône Valley and the Berre-Fos/Mer-Lavéra industrial port area.

Nelly Nicoli, Chief Executive Officer of Elengy, added: ‘After the success of the CEI that Elengy organised for GOCO2 in Saint Nazaire, this new result for Rhône CO₂ confirms the need of industrial companies to have access to infrastructures that can transport CO₂ to geological storage areas for emissions that they cannot reduce in any other way. It also confirms that the model of developing infrastructures that are open to third-party access is both relevant and effective.