The Council of State of the Netherlands has made a final decision on the issue of aquatic nitrogen emissions during construction of the proposed Porthos carbon capture and storage project, to be sited at Rotterdam and in the Dutch North Sea.

A case had been brought by nature organisation Mobilisation for the Environment in November 2021 regarding the construction. The ecological assessment of the project commissioned by Porthos in response to this case had found that “minor and one-off nitrogen deposition during the construction of Porthos will not have a significant impact on surrounding natural areas”. This opinion the Council of State agreed with, allowing the project to go ahead, which means the next hurdle for the project is the final investment decision, which is currently being prepared.

Porthos aims to begin construction early next year, and begin operating the project from 2026, with it being designed to permanently store 2.5 million tonnes of CO₂ annually, an important part of The Netherlands meeting its decarbonisation goal. It is a joint venture between Royal Dutch Shell, Exxon Mobil, Air Liquide and Air Products.