One party has lodged an appeal with the Administrative Jurisdiction Division of the Dutch Council of State against the project decision and twelve implementing decisions (phases 1 and 2) for the Aramis initiative, all published simultaneously on 24 April 2025. 

For a project of this scale, it is not uncommon for appeals to be lodged. The parties behind the Aramis initiative fully respect the right to appeal as a legitimate part of the legal process and are confident that the permitting procedure has been conducted with the utmost care and diligence. 

An appeal procedure before the Council of State typically involves a certain duration. Given this duration and the necessary period after the ruling to reach a final investment decision (FID), the date for FID may move to 2027. To prevent this, a timely ruling in the first half of 2026 is of crucial importance.

The Aramis initiative is developing infrastructure to store CO₂ captured from industrial sources in depleted gas fields under the North Sea. Once operational, the project will enable the storage of around 22 million tonnes of CO₂ annually and is essential for achieving Dutch and European climate targets while enabling the responsible continuation of industry.

The Aramis initiative consists of the following components: 

• A terminal at the Maasvlakte for receiving liquid CO₂ delivered by ship (CO₂next) 
• A CO₂ compressor station expansion at the Maasvlakte (part of Porthos) 
• An offshore pipeline running from the Maasvlakte to a distribution platform at sea (Aramis project) 
• Offshore platforms for storing CO₂ in depleted gas fields (Shell, TotalEnergies and Eni) 

All parties involved remain fully committed to the goals of the Aramis initiative and to working closely across the chain to realise them with integrity.