CO2GEONET - RESEAU D'EXCELLENCE EUROPEEN SUR LE STOCKAGE GEOLOGIQUE DE CO2

Their core work

CO2GeoNet is a European Network of Excellence that brings together research institutions specializing in the science of storing gases — primarily CO2 and, more recently, hydrogen — in geological formations underground. Their work covers the full technical picture of subsurface storage: characterizing reservoirs, conducting field experiments at pilot sites, and studying the geochemical and microbiological processes that occur when gases are injected into depleted hydrocarbon fields or saline aquifers. They also assess environmental and social impacts of storage projects, giving them credibility with both regulators and local communities. In practical terms, they are the scientific backbone that validates whether a storage site is safe, effective, and acceptable — the kind of expertise that energy companies and policymakers need before committing to large infrastructure investments.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the earlier phase (ENOS, 2016–2020), CO2GeoNet focused squarely on the core scientific question of CO2 geological storage: proving that onshore European sites are viable, safe, and ready for pilots and field experiments. By the second project (HyStorIES, 2021–2023), the focus had shifted from CO2 specifically to subsurface storage more broadly — with hydrogen becoming the primary gas and new technical dimensions emerging, including reservoir engineering, geochemistry, microbiology, corrosion, and energy system modelling. The trajectory is clear: CO2GeoNet is evolving from a CO2-only specialist network into a general authority on geological storage of energy-relevant gases, tracking the energy transition from carbon capture toward green hydrogen infrastructure.

CO2GeoNet is repositioning its subsurface expertise toward the hydrogen economy, making it an increasingly relevant partner for projects at the intersection of geological science and green hydrogen infrastructure.

How they like to work

CO2GeoNet consistently joins projects as a scientific partner rather than leading them — across both projects, they held only the participant role and never the coordinator. Despite this, they operate within large, internationally diverse consortia: just two projects produced 38 unique partners across 20 countries, which signals that they are valued for their niche scientific authority rather than their administrative or managerial capacity. For potential partners, this means CO2GeoNet is best engaged as a technical expert contributor — they bring deep knowledge and credibility to a consortium, but project coordination and administrative leadership should sit with others.

CO2GeoNet has built a surprisingly broad network for an organization with only two projects — 38 unique consortium partners across 20 countries, averaging 19 partners per project. This reflects the multinational, multi-institutional nature of European geological storage research, where national geological surveys, universities, and energy companies must collaborate across borders to access diverse storage formations.

What sets them apart

CO2GeoNet is not a single research institute but a European network of excellence — meaning it aggregates the combined scientific capacity of multiple national geological and environmental research bodies under one collaborative framework. This gives them a cross-border, pan-European perspective on geological storage that no single national institution can match. For a consortium building a project that requires credible, science-based validation of subsurface storage across multiple European geological contexts, CO2GeoNet brings both technical depth and institutional legitimacy that is difficult to replicate.

Highlights from their portfolio

• ENOS
  The largest project by funding (EUR 1.59M) and their foundational H2020 engagement — directly addressed the readiness of onshore CO2 storage sites across Europe through field-scale pilots, establishing CO2GeoNet as a central scientific actor in European CCS policy.
• HyStorIES
  Marks CO2GeoNet's strategic pivot toward hydrogen, applying established geological storage expertise to a new energy vector at the moment when hydrogen was becoming central to EU energy policy — demonstrating their ability to transfer subsurface knowledge across gas types.