The following article aims to present a review of emission-related requirements in environmental permits for carbon capture plants across Scandinavia and Northern Europe using the same capture technology.
The use of amine-based solvent is currently the capture technology used for a high number of the capture plants and pilot projects planned in Scandinavia and Northern Europe. Therefore, the capture technology using amine-based solvent will be in focus in the following.
The following sections aim to describe the focus of the publicly available environmental permits for each country in focus, prior to a comparison. The article does not focus on biogas plants using amine-based CO2 capture but includes waste-to-energy, combined heat and power, among others.
The article will be updated when new information becomes available. It was last revised in August 2026.
Denmark
In Denmark, two full-scale carbon capture plants are under construction and are expected to be in operation in the autumn of 2026. One environmental permit also exists for a planned full-scale carbon capture plant. Environmental permits for these plants have been compared.
A common characteristic of the three plants is that the amine solvent used is proprietary and only known by the constructor of the capture plant (SLB Capturi) and the Danish Environmental Protection Agency.
The environmental permits are specified according to the fuel burned in the process prior to the carbon capture plant. Therefore, the environmental permits differ, both in relation to limit values and components specified. Furthermore, the limit value for specified compounds might differentiate between the boiler and the capture plant, presumably reflecting the capture plant as a direct source of a specific emission.
CO2 capture is highly dependent on operating conditions. Therefore, frequent measurements during the commissioning and start-up phase are justified. This includes a monitoring frequency of every second month for nitrosamines, amines, aldehydes, ketones and amides to establish an overview of emissions of environmentally toxic compounds. After a two-year period, the monitoring frequency is reduced to once every six months, and it is expected that the Danish environmental authorities will evaluate the frequency continuously.
The carbon capture plants constructed and planned in Denmark along with emission limit values are presented in Table 1.
A full-scale carbon capture plant is also under construction at Aalborg Portland. However, the capture technology used is cryogenic technology provided by Air Liquide, which is not associated with additional emissions. Therefore, the related emission limit values will not be considered further in this review.
Norway
Three full-scale carbon capture plants using amine-based solvents are currently running. A fourth is under construction and planned to be functioning in 2029.
The environmental permits focus on determining how emissions disperse in the surrounding environment, taking into account the effects on terrain and nearby buildings as well as vulnerable recipients.
Among the emitted compounds, one is identified as the most critical from an environmental and human health perspective. This compound determines the most stringent limit value and is therefore used in the back-calculation to establish the corresponding emission limit value at the stack.
Environmental permits are publicly available on the website of Miljødirektoratet (Norwegian Environmental Agency, Norske utslipp).
The dispersion calculations included in the environmental permits define a concentration limit value for at least total amines (e.g. for the plants at Rakkested and Hafslund, Table 1). However, depending on the specific plant considered (e.g. Heidelberg or CO2 Test Center Mongstad, Table 1), specifications on types of amines, e.g. secondary amines, tertiary amines, nitrosamines and nitramines, can also be included in the environmental permit.
Both the number of compounds included and the limit values differ between the permits determined by the surrounding environments and the flue gas treated in the carbon capture plant.
As an example, at Oslo Celsio, two dispersion models were used to assess the formation and environmental impact of nitrosamines and nitramines. The modelling results were used to establish the allowable amine emission limit. Consequently, the permit does not require direct measurement of nitrosamines and nitramines in stack emissions. Instead, compliance is controlled through amine emission limits and environmental monitoring of relevant drinking water sources.
The environmental permits include an obligation to implement an initiative in cases where emissions may exceed the limit values. The initiatives should eliminate or reduce the risk of increased emissions, including reducing the operation or completely suspend the operation of the carbon capture plant.
The Norwegian environmental permits require that all measurements are subject to quality assurance. This includes conducting measurements in accordance with a Norwegian Standard (NS) or, where no Norwegian Standard is available, an applicable international standard.
Alternative methods may be used under specific circumstances. In such cases, the plant must document why the standard method is not suitable and demonstrate that the selected alternative method is representative and appropriate for the given situation.
The quality assurance requirements also stipulate that accredited laboratories and service providers must be used whenever measurements and analyses are performed by external suppliers.
The Norwegian environmental permits do not include a defined frequency of measurements for all the running or planned carbon capture plants. However, some of the permits define the measurement frequency for each component, and all permits require an annual report to the environmental authority.
United Kingdom
More than 10 carbon capture plants are planned in the coming years. Many of them are part of various cluster projects distributed across the United Kingdom.
The Environment Agency, which assigns the environmental permits, has published a guidance document focusing on monitoring stack emissions in relation to carbon capture plants: Monitoring stack emissions: carbon capture plants with solvent-based abatement - GOV.UK
The environmental permits contain limit values for the emissions from the carbon capture plant. For amines and nitrosamines, these are set as a total level, expressed as monoethanolamine (MEA) and N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), respectively. The limit values are followed by a list of additional components without compound-specific limit values. The emission limit values for several planned carbon capture plants are listed in Table 1.
Furthermore, the environmental permits focus on the quality of the amine solvent used. The permits contain requirements for monitoring the quality of the absorber solvent by varying frequency, depending on the parameters. However, the quality of the absorber solvent should be monitored for at least the first 12 months of operation.
The operator of the carbon capture plant shall submit a written report to the authority describing the reasons for solvent degradation and how the performance of the plant is affected by solvent degradation. Furthermore, a review of the options for reducing the degradation rate and proposals for additional measures should also be implemented.
Netherlands
Two full-scale carbon capture plants are currently operating in the Netherlands (Twence and AVR Duiven), and more than five are planned in the coming years. Several of these are expected to use amine-based capture technologies.
The environmental permit assigned to the capture plant at Twence Holding B.V. shows that focus is on emissions of degradation products from the amines rather than direct emissions of amines. The compounds in focus are therefore formaldehyde, nitramines and nitrosamines (as NDELA). Limit values for these compounds are set by the consolidation act on environmental administration and environmental activities (Activiteitenbesluit milieubeheer), but emission limit values are lacking for nitramines and nitrosamines.
Sweden
Contrary to the remaining Scandinavian countries (Denmark and Norway), the use of amine-based solvents for carbon capture is not the dominating technology in Sweden. However, several plants are in the pipeline.
Hot potassium carbonate (HPC) seems to be the dominating capture technology used for the planned carbon capture plants.
Germany
To our knowledge, seven carbon capture plants are planned in Germany. All are applied to cement and lime production, and none of the seven carbon capture plants are expected to use amine-based solvent as the capture technology.
Capture technologies like cryogenic, membrane and oxyfuel technologies are expected to be used instead.
France
Air Liquide is a strong technology provider for the CCS projects in the pipeline in France. This indicates that cryogenic technology is expected to be dominant in relation to amine-based technologies in Northern Europe. The industries currently planning and constructing carbon capture plants are cement and lime production, along with refinery and chemical production.
