Northern Spain is preparing to host the first major national hub for the capture, transport, and storage of industrial CO2 , a project that aims to become a key component in the decarbonization of sectors that are difficult to electrify. The initiative, dubbed "Hub COnet2 Norte," seeks to establish a strategic carbon dioxide corridor aligned with European climate policies.
This new CO2 management hub is born from an alliance between public administrations and energy and industrial companies , with the aim of deploying a complete value chain : from capture at emitting plants to its transfer and subsequent geological storage or valorization as raw material in new applications.
A pioneering hub in Spain for industrial CO2
The " COnet2 North Hub " has been designed as the first reference node in Spain dedicated exclusively to the capture, transport, and storage of CO2 from industry. Its scope of operation initially focuses on the Basque Country, Navarre, and Cantabria , but it is intended to expand to other northern regions of the country as more emitting facilities are incorporated.
The project is being promoted by Enagás and the Basque Government, through the Basque Energy Agency (EVE) , along with the companies Petronor, Heidelberg Materials, Calcinor, and Terresis Centro de Magnesitas Navarras . The gas company Nortegas is also participating as a collaborator in the infrastructure development.
The promoting entities have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to work together on the deployment of the hub. The agreement was signed at the Energy Intelligence Center (EIC) in Vizcaya , a space that is consolidating itself as a key center for strategic energy and climate transition projects in the region.
Among those present at the signing ceremony were Mikel Jauregi, Minister of Industry, Energy Transition and Sustainability of the Basque Government ; Garbiñe Basterra, Director General of Energy and Digital Transition, Business R&D&I and Entrepreneurship of the Government of Navarre ; and Juan Villar, CEO of Nortegas , representing the collaborating party.
Representing the promoting entities were the CEO of EVE, Mikel Amundarain ; the CEO of Enagás, Arturo Gonzalo ; the CEO of Petronor, José Ignacio Zudaire ; the president of Calcinor, Jon Santa Cruz ; the president of Heidelberg Materials, Jesús Ortiz ; and the CEO of Terresis Centro de Magnesitas Navarras, Jorge Baños , reflecting the institutional and industrial weight of the project.
CO2 value chain: from the chimney to storage
COnet2 Norte's proposal involves creating a comprehensive CO2 value chain , in which all stakeholders coordinate their investments and timelines. The idea is to leverage economies of scale and logistical synergies to make carbon dioxide capture and management technically and economically viable for multiple industries simultaneously.
The plan encompasses everything from capturing CO2 at participating industrial facilities to its transport via dedicated infrastructure and subsequent storage or valorization. This involves deploying dedicated CO2 pipelines and progressively transforming liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals into multi-molecule plants capable of handling different types of products while maximizing the use of their existing infrastructure.
In this first phase, the hub is being designed to manage around 2 million tons of CO2 per year . This volume will be supported by the most advanced capture and liquefaction technologies , along with the use of residual cooling available at LNG terminals to improve process efficiency.
The logistics infrastructure will include specific products for the transport of CO2 , a temporary storage and liquefaction terminal , and the maritime means necessary to move the carbon dioxide to geological storage sites or to facilities where it can be used as a raw material in valorization projects.
In parallel, the industrial companies that make up the consortium— Petronor, Heidelberg Materials, Calcinor, and Terresis Centro de Magnesitas Navarras —are developing their own source carbon capture projects . Petronor will also explore the promotion of technologies for the use and valorization of CO2 , reinforcing its commitment to a more circular economy.
European participation and funding for decarbonization
As explained by Enagás CEO Arturo Gonzalo , this agreement represents a decisive step towards the coordinated deployment of the CO2 value chain in the Basque Country, Navarre, and Cantabria, and aligns directly with European emissions reduction targets . The intention is for the hub to incorporate new companies and regions in northern Spain to strengthen the corridor in the medium term.
The project is already on the European Union's provisional list of Projects of Common Interest (PCI) , a designation that could open the door to funding and regulatory support. This positions it as a key initiative for the competitive decarbonization of industry along the entire Cantabrian coast.
The collaboration between the partners will facilitate a joint strategy for accessing European funding , such as that from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) and the Innovation Fund . The agreement will allow for the submission of stronger and more mature applications by integrating the hub into each participant's funding requests.
From Enagás's perspective, this is a collective industrial effort to address one of the most complex challenges of the energy transition: reducing emissions from so-called "hard to cut" industries , those activities with large emissions from chemical or combustion processes where direct electrification is not enough.
These industries, Gonzalo emphasized, are key to the economy, employment, and territorial cohesion , so they need solutions that allow them to decarbonize without losing competitiveness . The creation of a shared hub aims precisely to offer this path, concentrating investments and preventing each company from having to develop all the necessary infrastructure on its own.
Infrastructure design and the role of partners
In the area of ​​infrastructure, Enagás and the Basque Government, in coordination with Nortegas , will take the lead in designing the CO2 logistics network . To this end, they will use the Enagás Transporte del Norte (ETN) network and the BahÃa de Bizkaia Gas (BBG) plant , both jointly owned by Enagás and the Basque Energy Agency (EVE), as a reference point for the future conversion to a multi-molecule system.
The role of these facilities will be fundamental in reusing existing energy infrastructure and adapting it to the new needs of the climate transition, a strategy that can reduce costs and time compared to building completely new assets.
Meanwhile, industrial partners Petronor, Heidelberg Materials, Calcinor and Terresis Centro de Magnesitas Navarras continue to advance their own capture projects at production facilities, so that the CO2 can be channeled to the hub as soon as the logistics infrastructure is operational.
The involvement of these emitting sectors —refining, construction materials, lime, magnesites and other industrial products— allows the hub to be designed from the outset with different types of CO2 streams and management solutions in mind , whether it be permanent storage in geological formations or its transformation into renewable fuels and other products.
The joint approach ultimately seeks to ensure that technical, financial and regulatory planning is done in a coordinated manner, avoiding duplication and ensuring that investments fit within a single roadmap for the industrial decarbonization of the northern peninsula.
Integration into the Basque Country Industry Plan 2030
From an industrial policy perspective, Basque Minister Mikel Jauregi emphasized that the hub fits directly into the Basque Country's 2030 Industry Plan . The project is part of the "Hard to Zero" initiative , specifically aimed at decarbonizing industrial processes that are difficult to electrify , and is recognized as a Transformative Project under the name "Decarbonization Valley . "
This institutional framework reinforces the strategic nature of the hub within Basque industrial policy , positioning it as one of the levers to maintain and attract productive activity in a context of strong international competition and increasing climate demands.
Jauregi emphasized that this is a clear example of public-private collaboration aimed at building a coherent and efficient value chain for industrial CO2 management . The joint development of this initiative will optimize logistics costs , improve the economic viability of carbon capture projects, and ensure that the various actions follow a common roadmap.
In their view, this commitment will translate into greater competitiveness for industry in northern Spain and a reinforcement of its commitment to European climate neutrality goals . In an international environment marked by volatile energy prices and a high dependence on imported fossil fuels , initiatives like this one seek to gain flexibility and reduce risks.
Faced with this scenario, the councilor argues that there are not many alternatives beyond advancing in our own innovative solutions , supported by new energy infrastructures capable of integrating processes of CO2 capture, transport, storage and valorization, as well as promoting the use of carbon dioxide as a raw material in applications such as the production of renewable fuels.
The launch of the COnet2 North Hub positions the Basque Country and northern Spain as a key player in the future European CO2 management network , combining industrial capacity, energy infrastructure, and institutional support. If the various components of the project progress as planned, this hub could become a benchmark for the decarbonization of emissions-intensive sectors and a practical example of how to develop an integrated CO2 value chain that reconciles climate transition and economic activity.
