Baltic countries are located in the limits of the Baltic sedimentary basin, a 700 km long and 500 km wide synclinal structure. The axis of the syneclise plunges to the southwest. In Poland the Precambrian basement occurs at a depth of 5 km. The Baltic Basin includes the Neoproterozoic Ediacaran (Vendian) at the base and all Phanerozoic systems. Two aquifers, the lower Devonian and Cambrian reservoirs, meet the basic requirements for CO₂ storage. The porosity and permeability of sandstone decrease with depth. The average porosity of Cambrian sandstone at depths of 80–800, 800–1800, and 1800–2300 m is 18.6, 14.2, and 5.5%, respectively. The average permeability is, respectively, 311, 251, and 12 mD. Devonian sandstone has an average porosity of 26% and permeability in the range of 0.5–2 D. Prospective Cambrian structural traps occur only in Latvia. The 16 largest ones have CO₂ storage capacity in the range of 2–74 Mt, with total capacity exceeding 400 Mt. The structural trapping is not an option for Lithuania as the uplifts there are too small. Another option is utilization of CO₂ for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). The estimated total EOR net volume of CO₂ (part of CO₂ remaining in the formation) in Lithuania is 5.6 Mt. Solubility and mineral trapping are a long-term option. The calculated total solubility trapping capacity of the Cambrian reservoir is as high as 11 Gt of CO₂ within the area of the supercritical state of carbon dioxide.

Industrial CO2 emissions and possibilities for geological storage of CO2 in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were studied within the framework of EU GEOCAPACITY and CO2NET EAST projects supported by European Commission Sixth Framework Programme (FP6). Twenty-two large industrial sources produced 14.5 Mt of CO2 in Estonia, 1.9 Mt in Latvia and 4.8 Mt in Lithuania in 2007. The two greatest Estonian power stations, using oil-shale, produced 9.4 and 2.7 Mt of CO2. The Baltic States are located within the Baltic sedimentary basin, the thickness of which varies from 100 m in NE Estonia up to 1900 m in SW Latvia and 2300 m in western Lithuania. The most prospective formation for the geological storage of CO2 is the Cambrian reservoir, with an estimated potential of 300 Mt of CO2 in 15 large structures located in Latvia. Geological conditions are unfavourable for CO2 storage in Estonia, while mineral trapping with watered oil shale ash can bind up to 10–12% of CO2 emissions produced by the above-mentioned two large stationary sources. In Lithuania the capacity of CO2 storage in Cambrian and Devonian structures as well as in oil fields is negligible, but solubility and mineral trapping, including carbonation of the serpentinites hosting rich iron deposits can sink up to 18.6 Gt of CO2

Industrial CO₂ emissions and geological storage opportunities in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are studied within the framework of EU GEO­CAPACITY and CO2NET EAST projects supported by European Commission through Framework Programme 6. The structure of the energy sector and socio-economic conditions vary considerably between these three countries. A total of 24 large (emitting more than 0.1 million tonnes (Mt) of CO₂) industrial sources of CO₂ emissions, registered in 2005 in the European Trad­ing Scheme, consists of 11.5 Mt of CO₂  from Estonia, 1.9 Mt from Latvia and 5.6 Mt from Lithuania. The highest amount of CO₂ emission in Estonia is related to the oil shale used as the main fuel for power generation; the two largest Estonian power plants – Estonian and Baltic – produced respectively 7.7 and 2.25 Mt of CO₂ in 2005 and 9.4 and 2.7 Mt of CO₂ in 2007. CO₂ emission from oil shale combustion is significantly higher in comparison with other fossil fuels as energy sources. This is why CO₂ emission per capita in Estonia is about two times higher than the average value in Europe. The three Baltic States are located within the Baltic sedimentary basin, the thickness of which varies from 100 m in Northeast Estonia up to 1900 m in Southwest Latvia and 2300 m in West Lithuania. The most prospective formation for geological storage of CO₂ is the Cambrian reservoir. 15 large structures have been identified in Latvia with a total capacity exceeding 300 Mt of CO₂. The tightness of structures is evidenced by 40 years of success­ful operation of the Inčukalns Underground Gas Storage. Due to shallow setting, geological conditions in Estonia are unfavourable for CO₂ storage. Therefore an option of transporting CO₂ from Estonia via pipelines to one of the Latvian storage structures could be considered. Alternatively, the technology of CO₂ trapping by sorption of oil shale ash is under develop­ment in Estonia. In Lithuania, the capacity of CO₂ storage in Cambrian and Devonian structures as well as in oil fields is negligible, but CO₂ solubility and mineral trapping is a long-term option.

Directive 2009/31/EC of the European Parliament on the geological storage of carbon dioxide, entered into force on June 25th 2009. By the end 2013 the CCS Directive has been fully transposed into national law to the satisfaction of the EC in 20 out of 28 EU Member States, while six EU countries (Austria, Cyprus, Hungary, Ireland, Sweden and Slovenia) had to complete transposing measures. In July 2014 the European Commission closed infringement procedures against Cyprus, Hungary and Ireland, which have notified the EC that they have taken measures to incorporate the CCS Directive into national law. Among other three countries Sweden has updated its legislation and published a new law in their country in March 2014, permitting CO2 storage offshore. The evaluation of the national laws in Poland, which were accepted at national level in November 2013, and Croatia, which entered the EU on 7 July 2013 and simultaneously transposed the CCS directive, is still ongoing in 2014. The first storage permit under the Directive (for the ROAD Project in the offshore Netherlands) has been approved by the EC.\ud \ud While CO2 storage is permitted in a number of European countries, temporary restrictions were applied in Czech Republic, Denmark and Poland. CO2 storage is prohibited except for research and development in Estonia, Finland, Luxembourg, two regions in Belgium and Slovenia due to their geological conditions, but also forbidden in Austraia, Ireland and Latvia. The size of exploration areas for CO2 storage sites is limited in Bulgaria and Hungary. In Germany, only limited CO2 storage will be permitted until 2018 (up to 4 Mt CO2 annually)