Major carbon capture project moves closer to reality in Sweden

A carbon capture project in Helsingborg, Sweden, has reached a major investment milestone, helping to solidify its position as Europe’s first large-scale carbon capture facility at a waste-to-energy plant

The INNOZHERO project, led by Swedish energy company Öresundskraft, received final investment approval on 30 September 2026. The decision marks the end of the development phase and the beginning of preparations for construction, which is expected to start towards the end of 2026.

The INNOZHERO project aims to capture carbon dioxide (CO₂) produced during waste incineration, preventing it from entering the atmosphere and helping support Europe’s transition towards climate neutrality.

Turning waste emissions into carbon removals

The facility will be installed at Filbornaverket, a waste-to-energy plant in Helsingborg that processes approximately 220,000 tonnes of non-recyclable waste every year.

The plant currently converts waste into electricity and district heating for the local community. However, the incineration process also generates carbon emissions.

INNOZHERO will address this challenge by introducing large-scale carbon capture technology, allowing CO₂ to be collected, conditioned and transported for permanent underground storage.

The facility is expected to capture around 200,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually, including emissions from both fossil-based and biological materials.

Capturing and permanently storing biogenic carbon dioxide, which comes from organic materials such as food waste and paper, can generate negative emissions by removing carbon that would otherwise return to the atmosphere.

Over its first ten years of operation, the project is expected to prevent almost 1.9 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions from reaching the atmosphere.

Major investment supports project development

Reaching the final investment decision was made possible through significant financial backing from European and Swedish funding programmes.

INNOZHERO secured a €54.1 million grant from the European Union’s Innovation Fund. The Swedish Energy Agency also provided approximately €19.8 million in initial support, followed by an additional €3 million.

This public funding helped establish the financial foundations needed to move the project towards construction, alongside arrangements for transporting and permanently storing the captured carbon.

INNOZHERO is the first carbon capture and storage project at a waste incineration facility in the European Union to reach this investment milestone.

Supporting Europe’s climate ambitions

INNOZHERO project could also help establish the infrastructure needed to expand carbon capture and storage across the Nordic region and wider Europe.

For the local community, the development is expected to support climate-neutral district heating and waste incineration, while creating opportunities to develop expertise in carbon capture technology.

By demonstrating how existing waste-to-energy facilities can be adapted to capture emissions, INNOZHERO could provide an important example for other European cities looking to reduce their industrial carbon footprint.