14 European Energy Giants Form Baltic Energy Initiative to Build Cross-Border CCS and Clean Energy Networks

ORLEN, Poland's state energy group, has teamed up with 13 major energy companies and organizations across Northern and Central Europe to launch the Baltic Energy Initiative, a sweeping cross-border platform targeting carbon capture and storage (CCS), hydrogen transport, offshore wind, bioLNG, and small modular reactors (SMRs). The agreement was signed by 14 organizations from Poland, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Norway.

The coalition brings together Orsted, Fortum, Siemens Energy, Topsoe, DNV Energy Systems, Eesti Energia, Enefit, KN Energies, Adven, Steady Energy, P2X Solutions, Latvenergo, and Gasgrid Finland. The initiative is structured as a shared platform for pooling capital, engineering expertise, and project development capabilities across the Baltic Sea region.

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CCS and Hydrogen at the Core

On the carbon management side, the initiative focuses on developing shared CO2 transport and geological storage networks that can link regional industrial emitters to North Sea and Baltic storage hubs. CCS supply chain buildout is one of the stated priorities, alongside creation of a regional hydrogen market. For ORLEN, this is a direct extension of its existing CCS strategy, which already includes an earlier collaboration with Norway's Equinor to identify potential CO2 storage sites in Poland and the Baltic Sea.

Ireneusz Fąfara, CEO and President of the Management Board of ORLEN, put it plainly: "The challenges facing the energy sector today are too great to be addressed by individual countries or companies acting alone. By bringing together the expertise, infrastructure and investment capabilities of European companies, we can strengthen energy security, make better use of available funding, and enhance the competitiveness of the Baltic Sea region."

Funding, Policy Advocacy, and Infrastructure Resilience

The partners plan to jointly pursue capital grants and debt financing through European Union programs and international financial institutions. Beyond project financing, the coalition gives member companies a unified voice to shape EU-level regulatory frameworks and market support mechanisms, which is increasingly important as the EU ramps up its industrial decarbonization agenda.

The initiative also sets up technical working groups focused on critical infrastructure protection, covering cybersecurity, emergency preparedness, and responses to physical and hybrid threats across shared cross-border energy networks. That layer of the partnership reflects how much energy security and decarbonization have converged as policy priorities across the region.

A Model for Regional Decarbonization Coordination

What makes this coalition notable is its breadth. Fourteen organizations spanning nine countries, covering everything from offshore wind developers to nuclear SMR specialists to hydrogen infrastructure operators, is a significant coordinated effort. The structure also lets smaller national players punch above their weight when seeking EU funding or influencing Brussels-level policy, something individual companies struggle to do on their own.

The Baltic Sea region has long been seen as one of Europe's most promising areas for integrated decarbonization infrastructure, given its geological storage potential, offshore wind resources, and dense network of industrial emitters. This initiative signals that the companies operating there are serious about converting that potential into actual cross-border projects.

About ORLEN

ORLEN is Poland's largest energy company and one of Central Europe's biggest integrated energy groups, with operations spanning refining, retail fuel, natural gas, power generation, and renewables. The company is pursuing a major energy transition strategy that includes significant investments in CCS, hydrogen, offshore wind, and SMR technology. ORLEN is listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange and operates across multiple European markets.