Wärtsilä will take a central role in developing maritime carbon capture & storage (CCS) technologies as one of the leading partners in the LINCCS (linking carbon capture and storage) consortium.

The LINCCS project is focused on reducing costs for new carbon storage facilities by 70% and advancing the development of carbon capture technologies in a range of sectors. This week, it was announced that the LINCCS consortium would receive 111m Norwegian kroner to support the funding over the next three years from the Norwegian government’s Green Platform Initiative.

Carbon capture technology can be a significant enabler for decarbonization of the maritime industry. In recognition of this one of the major work-streams of the LINCCS project is to bring to market a maritime CCS solution. Wärtsilä will lead this work-stream with support from the Sustainable Energy Catapult Center and SINTEF Energy. This contribution will join wider, cross-industry CCS developments from project partners including Aker Solutions, Cognite, Aize, AGR, OpenGoSim, Wintershall Dea, Vår Energi, Lundin, Equinor and TotalEnergies.

To support CCS technology development, Wärtsilä Exhaust Treatment will expand its engineering facility in Moss, Norway to develop, test and verify the CCS solutions. This will bring the technology to a maturity level where it can be piloted in full scale on a vessel.

The project will be supported with complimentary knowledge from across the Wärtsilä group. With years of work in both exhaust gas abatement technology and cryogenic gas handling systems, the organisation is well placed to support the full infrastructure chain of carbon capture and storage, from exhaust to final sequestration.

The announcement demonstrates Wärtsilä’s reinforced commitment to innovation for the decarbonisation pathway for shipping. Importantly, it will enable the organisation to prove the viability of CCS on ships while also enabling the industry to implement the technology at scale.

Tamara de Gruyter, President, Marine Systems, Wärtsilä, said: “The transition towards zero emissions will require us to pioneer a number of different technology solutions in combination, and to do this in close cooperation with key partners. We are humbled and excited to be working with a strong group of companies who all have market-leading competencies to advance CCS as a solution that can enable a low-carbon future.”

“Wärtsilä is committed to being a prime leader in reducing greenhouse gas emissions over the next two decades. With the LINCCS project, we intend to show how our carbon capture solution, in combination with the transport and storage systems, can reduce emissions in both the short and medium term.”

Wärtsilä Exhaust Treatment is the market leading marine exhaust gas cleaning system manufacturer, with a range of lifecycle scrubbing solutions. Wärtsilä ET offers integrated compliant solutions for all types of ships, and in open loop, closed loop or hybrid configurations. Wärtsilä’s scrubbers are built with a modular approach to future technology development, creating a platform for the abatement of other emissions from shipping beyond sulphur.