Increasing CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere bringing on possible climate change, may be linked to human activities. Moreover, scenario's state that in 2020 global energy demands will be at least 35% higher than today. CO2 Capture and Storage (CSS) is an important strategy for CO2 emission reduction as part of an integrated package of three groups of measures (Trias Energetica) that includes, in addition to CCS, energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy.

Both European and Dutch policy agree in considering CCS as a necessary measure to obtain CO2 reduction goals. That is why a range of large scale demonstration projects will be implemented throughout Europe over the next 10-15 years. CATO-2's predecessor, the CATO (CO2 Afvang, Transport en Opslag) programme (2004-2009), has evolved into the National CCS knowledge platform, giving the Netherlands a leading position in the international community as one of the few programmes covering the entire CCS chain. CATO-2 builds on the accomplishments of CATO.

CATO-2's programme mission is to facilitate and enable the integrated development of CCS demonstration sites in The Netherlands. The programme's ambition is to help support the realisation of demonstration projects in the Netherlands, before 2015, in which the complete integration of CO2 capture, transport and storage will be demonstrated. In this way CATO-2 will build a strong and internationally leading knowledge and technology position for CCS in the Netherlands.
The CATO-2 program will focus its applied research efforts around regions: Rijnmond, Northern Netherlands and offshore, in the Dutch section of the North Sea. In each region a number of industrial partners are providing al link between research locations and planned pilot and small-scale demonstration sites. R&D activities are :
• Scaling up and piloting of various capture technologies from the current state of the art to
industrial scale at acceptable costs and environmental impacts;
• Preparing the integration of the CCS chain within the region, capture, transport and storage;
• Enhancing public awareness and perception of CCS.

At this moment the R&D is organized around Sub Program (SP) lines:
- Capture, including post-combustion, pre-combustion and oxy-combustion;
- System techno-economic analysis, transport and infrastructure development;
- Storage in the subsurface;
- Monitoring and verification;
- Regulation and safety;
- Communication and public perception;
- Dissemination and international cooperation;

The knowledge institutes coordinate the research within the programme lines and are responsible for linking research demand with supply. In addition, the research institutes are responsible for coordinating and integrating research within the SP lines and the CCS chain. The knowledge
institutes play a leading role in the development and implementation of the general applied and fundamental R&D component of the program.
The programme partners involve industry, research institutes, universities, regional CCS platforms and environmental NGO's.