The Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy has determined and published the Memorandum on Scope and Level of Detail (NRD) on December 2, 2022. This memorandum contains the framework for the environmental impact assessment (EIA) to be drawn up for CO2next and Aramis. The EIA maps out the environmental effects of the project, such as the effects on safety, landscape, nature, soil and water. The aim of the EIA is to make sure that environmental issues are given a rightful place in the decision-making process.

CO2next intends to realise a terminal for landing, storing and transshipping of liquid CO2 in the Aramis initiative. Therefore CO2next and Aramis take a joint approach in the permitting procedures, which are coordinated by the Ministry of EZK as this falls under the Rijks Coordinatie Regeling (RCR).

Views
The draft of the NRD has been available for inspection from June 10 to July 21, 2022 and anyone could submit views. CO2next and Aramis organized an information session and public consultation, on June 21 2022. Ultimately, eight views were submitted which were answered in the Memorandum of Reply annexed to the NRD.

The public participation procedure has led to two adjustments compared to the draft NRD. Neptune Energy’s view has led to Neptune Energy being included in the EIA as a third storage party equivalent to the other storage parties Shell and TotalEnergies. Also, the route of the sea line has been further optimized, which has led to three alternatives and two variants that are assessed in the EIA.

What happens next? 
The next step is to draft the EIA. Various environmental studies for the different alternatives will be carried out. In a memorandum integral impact analysis (IEA) the effects of the various alternatives with regard to the themes of environmental impact, costs, spatial integration, technology and future-proofing are mapped out. Based on this, the Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy and in coordination with the Ministry of Home Affairs chooses a preferred alternative (VKA). In the EIA, the VKA is further elaborated and investigated in more detail for environmental effects.

You can read the Memorandum on Scope and Level of Detail (NRD) here: www.rvo.nl/aramis.