TotalEnergies, Mitsui, and Nordsøfonden pick up CO2 storage exploration permit in North Sea

January 15, 2026, by Melisa Cavcic

The Danish Energy Agency has handed out its eighth permit for exploration and possible storage of CO2 in Denmark to a consortium consisting of TotalEnergies, Mitsui, and Nordsøfonden.

Danish Energy Agency - North Sea — Courtesy of Danish Energy Agency

Following a tender for potential CO2 storage areas in the North Sea, the Danish Energy Agency has granted permission to the consortium made up of TotalEnergies, Mitsui, and Nordsøfonden to explore and potentially store CO2 in the subsurface in the coastal area of Inez, which is located about 50 kilometers from the coast of Thyboron.

As a result, eight permits have been issued for the exploration of CO2 storage in Denmark, with half of these being at sea and the other four on land. The latest permit the Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities has given for exploration and possible storage of CO2, which is valid for six years, comes after a tender round for three delimited areas – Inez, Lisa, and Jammerbugt – off the coast of North Jutland.

The Inez area in the North Sea is located about 50 km off the west coast of North Jutland; Source: The Danish Energy Agency

Thanks to the permit, the consortium undertakes to initiate exploration work to determine whether the area is suitable for storing CO2, which means the subsoil needs to be thoroughly examined to determine storage suitability. If this turns out to be the case, the consortium will have the right to proceed with an actual storage project.

Peter Christian Baggesgaard Hansen, Deputy Director General of the Danish Energy Agency, highlighted: “Denmark’s subsoil is particularly suitable for safe and sound storage of CO2, and with the new permit, there are now eight areas in Denmark where work is being done to establish specific storage projects.

“Better access to storage in different parts of Denmark provides better conditions for realising CO2 capture and thus contributing with real reductions for the benefit of the climate.”

View on Offshore-energy.

The issuance of this permit follows the Danish Energy Agency’s approval of the first full-scale CO2 storage facility in the Nini West field, located about 240 kilometers northwest of Esbjerg.