Yara Inaugurates Europe's Largest Carbon Capture Facility at Sluiskil, Netherlands

Europe's largest industrial carbon capture facility has been officially inaugurated at Yara's plant in Sluiskil, the Netherlands, marking the establishment of the first complete cross-border value chain for capturing, transporting, and permanently storing carbon dioxide. The ceremony on September 7, 2026, drew heads of government and senior European officials, signaling the political weight behind what the company and its partners have described as a landmark moment for industrial decarbonization on the continent.

A Facility Built for Scale

Yara Sluiskil, already recognized as Europe's largest ammonia and fertilizer plant, will now anchor an operation capable of capturing and liquefying up to 800,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually from its ammonia production processes.

By capturing these volumes, Yara avoids carbon taxation on the corresponding emissions. The liquefied CO₂ will be held in temporary storage at the Sluiskil site before being transported by ship to Norway, where it will be permanently stored 2,600 meters beneath the seabed by Northern Lights, the Norwegian carbon storage venture.

Over the 15-year life of the project, the facility is expected to capture and store approximately 12 million tons of CO₂, a volume that Yara says will make a significant contribution to European climate goals and the broader transformation of energy-intensive industry.

High-Level Attendance Underscores Strategic Importance

The inauguration was attended by Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten, European Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth Wopke Hoekstra, and Yara International's President and CEO Svein Tore Holsether.

The gathering of two sitting prime ministers and a senior European commissioner at an industrial facility reflects the degree to which carbon capture and storage has moved from the margins of climate policy to its center in European political thinking. Holsether framed the project in terms of both environmental obligation and economic strategy.

"This is an important day for Yara and for European industry," he said. "The carbon capture facility in Sluiskil proves that large-scale industrial decarbonization is possible today. As global competition intensifies, Europe must find ways to cut emissions while keeping industry, jobs and critical value chains in Europe.

That is exactly what this project is about." Commissioner Hoekstra echoed the dual emphasis on climate and competitiveness. "Europe needs practical climate solutions that deliver real emissions reductions while strengthening industrial competitiveness," he said.

"The carbon capture and storage project at Sluiskil shows what is possible when innovation and cross-border cooperation come together. This is exactly the kind of project Europe needs to combine climate ambition with a strong and resilient industrial base."

The Northern Lights Connection

The storage component of the project is operated by Northern Lights, a carbon storage infrastructure provider that entered into an agreement with Yara in 2023. Under that arrangement, Northern Lights vessels will transport the liquefied CO₂ from Sluiskil to the company's facility at Øygarden, Norway, from where it will be injected and permanently stored deep beneath the seabed. Tim Heijn, managing director of Northern Lights, described the inauguration as the fulfillment of a commitment made three years ago.

"This is a milestone we have been looking forward to," he said. "We are proud to start operations together with Yara and to see the agreement signed in 2023 become reality. Together, we are demonstrating that capture and cross-border CO₂ transport and storage are viable solutions for European industry."

Heijn also positioned the project within the longer arc of European carbon infrastructure development, calling it "an important step in the development of Europe's carbon management market" and a demonstration of what becomes possible when industry and governments collaborate on transition infrastructure.

Cross-Border Infrastructure as a Model

One of the distinctive features of the Sluiskil project is that it spans two countries and multiple corporate entities across the full chain of capture, liquefaction, shipping, and subsea storage. Yara and Northern Lights have presented this cross-border structure as a replicable model that could allow other European industrial companies to access permanent CO₂ storage solutions through shared infrastructure, rather than requiring each emitter to develop its own dedicated storage arrangements.

The project's proponents argue that carbon capture and storage technology is not simply a transitional workaround but an enabling condition for keeping certain categories of industrial production in Europe. Sectors cited include fertilizers, ammonia, cement, and waste management, all of which face emissions that are difficult to eliminate through electrification or fuel switching alone.

Low-Carbon Products Across Multiple Sectors

Yara has indicated that the emissions reductions achieved at Sluiskil will feed into the carbon credentials of a range of products it supplies to different markets. The company identifies low-carbon fertilizers intended to support more sustainable food production, low-carbon ammonia for industrial applications and as a clean energy carrier, and low-carbon fuels for the maritime sector as downstream beneficiaries of the facility's operation.

Yara, founded in Norway in 1905, operates in over 60 countries and serves more than 140 markets. The company employs approximately 15,700 people and reported revenues of USD 15.7 billion in 2025. Sluiskil, as the company's largest ammonia and fertilizer production site in Europe, sits at the center of that global production network, and the carbon capture installation now adds a new dimension to the plant's industrial profile.