Évora, Portugal, Oct. 6, 2026 (Lusa) - The University of Évora (UÉvora) has identified a site in Portuguese offshore waters, off the coast of Figueira da Foz in the district of Coimbra, where it could test the geological storage of carbon dioxide (CO2), it announced Tuesday.
In a statement sent to the Lusa news agency, the Alentejo-based university explained that the offshore reservoir, with a «storage capacity of over 93 million tonnes» of CO2, lies about 22 kilometres off the coast of Figueira da Foz.
«The reservoir is situated in the Lusitanian Basin, within rock formations located hundreds of metres below the seabed», it stated.
UÉvora carried out the studies as part of the «PilotSTRATEGY» project, developed in collaboration with GALP and the Institute of Social Sciences at the University of Lisbon.
«We have identified and studied a specific site where a pilot project for the geological storage of CO₂ could be carried out in Portugal,» said Júlio Carneiro, a professor in the Department of Geosciences at Uévora, in the press release.
The researcher, who is also a member of CREATE and the project lead, noted that, should the initiative go ahead, the CO₂ will be injected to a depth of around 1,200 metres below sea level into a sandstone reservoir – «a porous rock with high permeability» – where it will be «trapped in the pores between the grains, which are currently filled with highly saline water».
«The immediate aim is to carry out a pilot project to test the behaviour of the reservoir in the field,» the academic emphasised.
The project led by Júlio Carneiro envisages a three-dimensional (3D) seismic survey campaign in 2027–2028, the drilling of an injection well in 2030 and an experimental injection of «less than 100,000 tonnes» of CO₂ for scientific purposes only over a period of around 12 months in 2031–2032, followed by monitoring until at least 2034.
The timetable, UÉvora noted, depends on «the availability of funding, the necessary authorisations and the results obtained at each stage».
The research also envisages capturing the carbon dioxide to be injected at the Souselas cement works, in the municipality of Coimbra, transporting it by train in cryogenic containers to the Porto de Figueira da Foz and, from there, by ship to the storage site.
«This solution allows the chain to be tested with a minimum of permanent infrastructure, relying on existing onshore facilities rather than an offshore platform or gas pipelines,» explained Júlio Carneiro.
The estimated cost for the pilot project «is around €98 million, ranging from €90 million to €120 million, excluding the CO₂ capture unit at the Souselas plant».
At the same time, the institution added that the CTS (Carbon Transport and Storage) project «examined various options for establishing a future national infrastructure for CO₂ transport and storage, including gas pipeline networks and solutions combining gas pipelines with maritime transport».
«The cement and lime sectors are among the main potential users,» said the Alentejo-based academy, noting that «the technology may also be of interest to the pulp and paper industry, particularly in the case of biogenic CO₂, the capture and permanent storage of which may, under certain conditions, be considered as the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere».
Portugal «has set itself the target of climate neutrality by 2045, and some industrial sectors can benefit from additional solutions,» Carneiro said.
He therefore argued that «it is essential to continue research into CO₂ capture and storage» in order to determine under what conditions the technology «can contribute to this objective» and to «maintain activity in sectors where decarbonisation is challenging».
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