May 27, 2026
Today, the Government of the Republic of Lithuania recognised the carbon dioxide (CO₂) transshipment terminal planned in Klaipėda by international terminal operator and owner KN Energies as a project of national importance.
The granting of the status of a project of national importance will enable priority and coordinated involvement of state and municipal institutions, the application of simplified and accelerated spatial planning, environmental impact assessment and permitting procedures, reduce the risk of project delays, and help ensure the use of EU funding opportunities.
The planned terminal is part of the cross-border CO₂ capture, transport and permanent storage chain developed by the CCS Baltic Consortium, established in 2022. It is the first cross-border CCS project of its kind in the region, strengthening cooperation between Lithuania and Latvia and promoting deeper integration of CO₂ markets. Once implemented, the project will increase access to CO₂ infrastructure, create more favourable conditions for industrial decarbonisation, and strengthen competition in the regional CO₂ market. The project covers carbon dioxide capture and transport to the CO₂ transshipment terminal in the Port of Klaipėda, from where it will be shipped to permanent storage sites in the North Sea. Commercial operations of the project are planned to begin in 2032.
“Klaipėda’s CO₂ reloading terminal is a strategic investment in the future of Lithuanian industry, regional competitiveness, and the achievement of European climate goals. The status of a project of national importance confirms Lithuania’s ambition not to be an observer of climate change solutions, but a leader in them in the Baltic region. This infrastructure will create real conditions for our industry to reduce emissions while maintaining competitiveness, promote the development of advanced technologies, attract new investment, and create high value-added jobs. At the same time, this is another step in strengthening Lithuania’s role as a modern energy and green transformation hub in the region,” says Minister of Energy Žygimantas Vaičiūnas.
In 2024, the European Commission granted the CCS Baltic Consortium project the status of a Project of Common Interest (PCI), recognising it as an important cross-border infrastructure project that significantly contributes to the implementation of EU energy policy and climate objectives. Part of the project is co-financed by the EU under the Connecting Europe Facility for Energy.
“With this project, we are creating a practical solution to one of the key challenges of industrial transformation: how to reduce CO₂ emissions while maintaining operational continuity and competitiveness. The terminal planned in Klaipėda would be the first public-access infrastructure of its kind in the Baltic States, open to market participants and designed to support the decarbonisation of the region’s industry. Our goal is not only to create new infrastructure, but also to ensure that it serves as a reliable link between industrial needs, international CO₂ value chains and long-term climate neutrality objectives.
Alongside the activities already being carried out in Lithuania and abroad that are important for the region’s energy consumers, the company continues to invest consistently in its defined strategic business directions,” says Darius Šilenskis, CEO of KN Energies.
KN Energies is implementing the CO₂ capture and storage project together with Akmenės cementas, German-owned Latvian company Schwenk Latvija, and international shipping companies Larvik Shipping and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines.
This year, KN Energies and its partners will carry out the environmental impact assessment (EIA) analysis for the construction and operation of the CO₂ transshipment terminal in Klaipėda, as well as the front-end engineering design (FEED) study, which will help prepare the solutions for the CO₂ terminal and the entire CCS value chain required for the final investment decision.
In the long term, access to CCS technologies will promote the deployment of green innovations, the attraction of new investment, and the development of high value-added manufacturing in Lithuania. This will contribute to the country’s economic transformation by increasing its resilience to international competition and strengthening its position in Europe’s green industry ecosystem.
The planned design capacity of the CO₂ transshipment terminal in Klaipėda is 2.8 million tonnes of CO₂ per year.
