As Europe accelerates towards its net-zero goals, Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) has emerged as one of the most important technologies in the fight against climate change. While renewables and electrification are reshaping the energy landscape, experts agree that CCS is essential to decarbonising industries that are difficult to electrify — such as cement, steel, refining and chemicals.

The CCS Imperative in Europe

  • The EU and UK have both committed to scaling CCS as part of their 2030 and 2050 climate strategies.
  • Flagship projects such as Northern Lights (Norway), Porthos (Netherlands) and Longship (Norway) are proving what’s possible at scale.
  • According to EIC data there are currently more than 200 CCS projects currently active or in planning stages across Europe.
  • The EIC Europe OPEX Report 2025 forecasts CCS investment to grow by 12% annually through 2028, driven by industrial decarbonisation commitments.

The Workforce Challenge

Our latest Brunel research identified that 51% of MD/C-Suite leaders in conventional energy see skilled labour shortages as the biggest barrier to scaling new technologies like CCS and hydrogen (Brunel Global Talent & Tech Trends 2025).
The EIC Europe OPEX Report 2025 reinforces this, with 62% of operators highlighting talent shortages as a direct risk to project execution, particularly in subsurface and process engineering roles.
 

These are highly specialised skills — and 47% of energy companies say competition with other sectors is their biggest workforce challenge (Brunel Global Talent & Tech Trends 2025). Without workforce solutions in place, CCS deployment risks being slowed down.

How Brunel Supports CCS Projects

At Brunel, we help operators, EPCs and developers bridge this talent gap. With decades of experience in oil & gas and the energy transition, we:

  • Deliver scalable workforce solutions — from single specialists to full project teams
  • Provide global mobility expertise to move talent seamlessly across borders
  • Support project success through compliance, safety and operational excellence

 

Our global reach and local presence in Europe mean we can source the right expertise, wherever and whenever it’s needed.

 

Building the Future Workforce for CCS

Our research found that 83% of companies already use Big Data in their workforce planning (Brunel Global Talent & Tech Trends 2025) — but even the best planning can’t deliver results without trusted partners to execute it.


Meanwhile, the EIC Europe OPEX Report 2025 indicates that 44% of companies expect OPEX increases due to workforce constraints, underscoring how critical workforce solutions are to keeping CCS projects on track.


CCS is not just an emerging technology — it’s becoming an industry in its own right. As projects scale up, thousands of new roles will be created. For energy professionals, this represents a unique opportunity to transfer skills into a fast-growing sector that sits at the heart of the energy transition.


At Brunel, we are committed to supporting this journey — for both our clients and our talent community.
 

Connect with our specialists to explore tailored solutions for your business

 

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