Credits: HOYER Group
Airfix, CO2 Energie AG and South Pole are proud to announce the official start of commercial operations at Switzerland’s flagship BECCS project in Niederwil. The first ISOtainers filled with liquefied biogenic CO2 have left the Regionalwerke AG Baden (RWB) biomethane plant and arrived in Denmark for permanent geological storage at Project Greensand in the North Sea.
This milestone marks the transition from years of development into active, daily execution, establishing Switzerland’s first operational, cross-border, commercial-scale, multimodal Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) value chain.
From biogenic waste to permanent atmospheric removal
Operating at Switzerland’s largest biomethane facility in Niederwil, the project captures biogenic CO2 generated during the anaerobic digestion of local agricultural and food waste. Up to 4,300 tonnes of biogenic CO2 will be captured and liquefied on site each year.
Once liquefied, the CO2 is loaded into specialised ISOtainers to begin a seamless cross-border journey managed by HOYER Group and coordinated by Airfix:
- Truck drayage: Transport from Niederwil to the regional rail hub in Basel.
- Rail: Long-haul transit from Basel across Germany to Hamburg, before a final truck journey to the Port of Esbjerg, Denmark.
- Maritime shipping & geological storage: Offshore transit to Project Greensand, operated by INEOS energy, where the CO2 is injected 1,800 meters beneath the North Sea seabed in the depleted Nini West reservoir.
All transport emissions across the entire supply chain are fully accounted for within the project’s carbon accounting framework, delivering a net atmospheric removal efficiency of ~91.7%.
“Seeing the first container of biogenic CO2 leave Niederwil bound for permanent subsea storage is an extraordinary moment for our team and for Swiss industry. What started as a vision to turn a byproduct of biomethane production into permanent negative emissions is now an active, operational reality. We are proud to prove that local renewable energy generation and permanent climate solutions can go hand in hand.”
Philippe Lehmann, Managing Director at CO2 Energie AG
“BECCS Niederwil proves that complex multimodal logistics and cross-border regulatory boundaries are no longer barriers to carbon removal. By active integration across capture, rail, maritime shipping and subsea injection, we have built an operational framework that can be replicated by small- and medium-sized biogenic emitters across the entire continent.”
Jonas Lötscher, Managing Director at Airfix
Turning national climate strategy into physical execution
As a landlocked nation without domestic deep geological storage facilities, cross-border export is critical for Switzerland to meet its legally binding net-zero targets under the Climate and Innovation Act (KlG). BECCS Niederwil translates federal removal obligations into verified physical execution, serving as the first Swiss commercial initiative to store carbon internationally and the first non-Danish project to execute injection at Project Greensand.
The project’s carbon removal credits are certified under the specifications of the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment. The financial bankability of the value chain is backed by a landmark CHF 10 million pre-purchase commitment from the Climate Cent Foundation through 2030, highlighting the power of early financing in scaling high-integrity carbon removal technologies.
A blueprint for European emitters
By bridging the gap between localised biogenic capture facilities and Northern European offshore storage hubs, the Niederwil project provides a scalable template for Europe’s energy transition. It demonstrates how decentralised biogenic point sources can aggregate logistics to access carbon markets and contribute directly to global net-zero goals.
Airfix extends its gratitude to project partners CO2 Energie AG, South Pole, HOYER Group and INEOS, as well as pioneer contributors Carbon Impact and the Climate Cent Foundation. Airfix was made possible through early support from the Migros Pioneer Fund as an initial project enabler. The Migros Pioneer Fund is part of the social commitment of the Migros Group.
Enquire about carbon removals and value chain orchestration
For further information on the project or to inquire about high-integrity BECCS offtake opportunities, please contact: info@airfixcarbon.com
