The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, Dutch plans to grant € 706 000of public support to the company De Meerlanden Holding NV (“Meerlanden”) for the installation of CO2 capture technology in its biomass digester located in Rijsenhout, in the province of Noord-Holland...
The captured CO2 will be then fed into a pipeline network owned by the company OCAP CO2 B.V. and transported by OCAP to greenhouses situated in the horticultural area of PrimA4a in the Greenport of Aalsmeer. The measure is expected to reduce emissions by 2.4 kiloton of CO2 per year. Currently, the greenhouses in the horticultural PrimA4A area produce their own CO2 using heating systems such as cogeneration systems or gas fired boilers. In summer, when heating is not needed, the greenhouses nevertheless use their heating systems for the sole purpose of CO2 generation. Thanks to this measure, these greenhouses will be able to use excess waste CO2 instead. This will benefit the environment by reducing the use of primary energy sources that produce CO2, with an annual energy saving of 65 000 m3 of natural gas, as well as by disposing of the waste CO2 from Meerlanden. The Commission assessed the measure under EU State aid rules, in particular the Guidelines on State aid for Environmental protection and Energy. It found that the measure will contribute to the EU's environmental and climate goals, without unduly distorting competition. More information on today's decision will be available on the Commission's competition website, in the public case register under the case number SA.52663
