The Accelerating CCUS Technologies (ACT) has announced an open call to accelerate and mature CO2 Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) technologies through targeted funding of innovation and research activities.
Accelerating CCUS Technologies (ACT) is an initiative to facilitate the emergence of CO2 Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) via transnational funding of projects aimed at accelerating and maturing CCUS technology through targeted innovation and research activities.
ACT will address the technological, environmental, social, and economic challenges that will be required to accelerate CCUS. Priority will be given to projects that incorporate or address the European Strategic Energy Technology (SET) Plan Implementation research priorities (link) and/or focus on the Priority Research Directions (PRDs, link) Identified at the Mission Innovation CCUS Challenge Workshop (Houston 2017).
Successful projects shall facilitate the deployment of CCUS in the energy and industrial sectors. The ACT goal of accelerating the time to market for CCUS technology will require industrial involvement in research and innovation activities. Therefore, applications submitted to the ACT4 call must be industrial oriented.
Sspecial Interest
Applications within the following subjects are of special interest:
Carbon capture: production of a pure CO2 stream from combustion and/or processes at the point of emissions.
CO2 captured from hydrogen production facilities, power stations that use biomass or fossil fuels, hard to decarbonise heavy industry facilities (e.g., cement, iron & steel, chemicals), and natural gas processing plants.
Examples of carbon capture technologies that could be considered for this Call include without limitation: chemical or physical absorption, cryogenic, membrane separation, chemical or physical adsorption, oxy-fuel combustion, and chemical looping.
Carbon capture and transportation networks: integrated approaches combining multiple capture points and transportation infrastructure to link multiple specific capture sites to a common network.
Point-to-point transportation via pipelines, ships, trains, or trucks with a single input CO2 stream.
Direct carbon conversion: implementation of a process that directly absorbs carbon into a product at the point of emissions such as the creation of CO2-based products (e.g., fuels, chemicals, building materials).
Permanent Storage: captured CO2 is transported to a geological storage site and then injected deep underground where it is permanently stored.
Utilization to Storage via Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR)/Enhanced Gas Recovery (EGR): the captured CO2 is transported to an oil-field and is used to stimulate more oil production, with the CO2 then being stored in the oil-depleted reservoir.
Offshore CO2 storage: injection of CO2 into deep geological formations beneath the seabed (e.g., depleted oil and gas reservoirs and saline aquifers) for permanent storage.
Clean Hydrogen Production: low-carbon hydrogen production from fossil sources combined with CCUS.
Carbon dioxide removal (CDR):
Biomass Carbon Removal and Storage (BiCRS)/ Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS): utilisation of biomass as an energy source and the capture and permanent storage of CO2 produced during the conversion of biomass to energy.
Example: Power station fuelled with biomass and equipped with CCS
Direct Air Capture (DAC): production of pure CO2 stream from ambient air.
In-situ carbon mineralization: CO2 captured, compressed, and stored in reactive geologic formations where CO2 in the fluid form mineralizes to produce water-insoluble calcium or magnesium carbonates, such as in basalts offshore.
Funding Information
Total Funding Available: 1 Million Euro (Equivalent Indian Rupees: Approx. Rs. 8 Crore)
Maximum Funding per Awarded project: Maximum funding for Indian partners for awarded project will be restricted to 0.50 Million Euro (Rs. 4 Crore).
Max. 2 Numbers (The numbers can be modified for the suitable project within the funding limit)
Funding intends to be divided uniformly to support Carbon Capture and Carbon Utilization/Conversion projects.
Canada: $2.85 million CAD (approximately €2 million)
India: Maximum funding for Indian partners for awarded project will be restricted to maximum 0.5 Million Euro.
Norway: Maximum NOK 15 M per project.
United States: Projects are limited to US ~ $540,000 or $500,000 € per proposals. Any projects that exceed this limit will be eliminated from consideration.
Eligible Countries: Canada, Germany, India, Norway and United States.
Eligibility Criteria
ACT is seeking innovative projects that range from smaller research projects to new or major expansion/upgrades of existing pilot and demonstration facility sites.
The projects should include the potential for upscaling to industrial size either in a demonstration or early commercial phase. Each project proposal must be submitted by a project consortium comprised of at least two eligible applicants seeking funding from at least two participating countries / regions in the ACT4 call.
Each project consortium must have the required expertise to undertake research and development within the specified themes. Each consortium must have a Lead Applicant who serves as the project’s main contact point. In addition, Lead Partners from each participating country must serve as primary point of contact at the national level.
No project partner can have a share of more than 70% of the project’s work plan activities. As part of the full proposal, all partners must provide a Letter of Intent, it must include an explicit declaration of any financial or in-kind contributions agreed upon, and the partner’s role. Projects funded under this Call must be completed within 3 years.
Projects with a shorter timeline that can provide results for accelerating CCUS development are highly encouraged. Projects must commence within three (3) months of receiving ACT funding approval.
