Optimal Deployment of Engineered Carbon Dioxide Removal (BECCS & DACCS) in the North Sea Region

Achieving the 1.5°C climate target outlined by the IPCC requires the large-scale deployment of Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) technologies. This study focuses on two engineered options: Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) and Direct Air Carbon Capture and Storage (DACCS), to determine least-cost deployment strategies across nine European countries bordering the North Sea from 2025 to 2050. A dynamic, spatially explicit optimization model is developed to minimize the discounted cost per ton of net CO2 removed, delivering 100 MtCO2/yr of engineered removals by 2050. Results show that BECCS is deployed earlier, leveraging biomass availability and existing infrastructure, while DACCS investments become dominant after 2040 as biomass becomes scarcer, technological costs decline, and clean electricity expands. Overall, BECCS represents around 78% of total net negative emissions. The average removal cost reach 231 e/tCO2, but significant disparities emerge across countries. The United Kingdom and Sweden deploy the largest CDR fleets, while the order changes for costs: France bears higher costs than the UK due to a comparatively larger share of DACCS investments. Smaller countries such as Denmark and the Benelux region contribute less. Additional concerns arise from the electricity demand generated by such projects. The study reveals a feasible but costly objective that requires European coordination for fair burden sharing and robust actions on biomass governance, clean energy policies, and CO2 transport and storage infrastructures.