Thasos, Greece | May 20–22, 2025
The PilotSTRATEGY consortium gathered for its 5th General Assembly, hosted on the island of Thasos by the Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH). Spanning three days of hybrid sessions, the event brought together over 40 experts from seven countries to align on progress, share innovations, and shape the path forward for CO2 storage in deep saline aquifers across Europe.
Day 1: Regional Progress
The General Assembly opened with a welcome from project coordinator Isaline Gravaud (BRGM), who set the tone by emphasizing the project's recent milestones and upcoming steps in the crucial final year of the project. A series of in-depth regional updates followed, spotlighting technical breakthroughs and contextual challenges from the project’s pilot sites:
- Greece presented advances in geological mapping and data integration, coupled with national CCS updates.
- Poland highlighted screening outcomes and the phased roadmap for Upper Silesia, alongside early stakeholder engagement & regulatory pathways.
- France showcased its focus on subsurface screening & modelling, alignment with regulatory frameworks, and their extensive stakeholder outreach, and leadership in public engagement.
- Spain shared their work in geochemical characterisation & analogue testing, their Innovation Fund success, and updates on their citizen engagement.
- Portugal outlined injectivity simulations and a flexible CO2 transport concept for the Lusitanian Basin, and their upcoming stakeholder engagement events.
Following regional showcases, the afternoon pivoted to WP3: Simulation & Modelling, led by IFPEN. Presenters from multiple partner countries revealed how new models are now informing injection designs across sites, balancing storage targets with subsurface safety.
Day 2: Building Trust, Managing Risk
Wednesday focused on the social and communicative aspects of CCS. The morning began with a session on project impact and strategic communication, led by Romain Viguier and Erika Palfi (SCCS). A dynamic workshop invited participants to explore key messaging strategies around CCS risks, economic drivers, and societal trust.
In the WP6 Community Engagement session, fieldwork and survey data revealed insights into local perceptions of storage projects. Partners exchanged best practices in building dialogue with communities. An interdisciplinary workshop wrapped up the morning, fostering exchange between social scientists and technical teams.
The afternoon's WP5 Safety session tackled risk frameworks. Presentations spanned plume migration modelling, seismicity risk, and well integrity—reaffirming PilotSTRATEGY’s commitment to robust safety protocols tailored to each region.
Day 3: Scaling Up with Confidence
Thursday’s agenda put WP4 Pilot Development in the spotlight, outlining next steps toward implementation, with contributions from all PilotSTRATEGY regions.
A closing session summarized key insights and next steps, as the consortium reaffirmed its shared vision: developing bankable, socially accepted, and technically sound CO2 storage pilots that can unlock European-scale decarbonisation.