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Ragn Sells AS

Ragn-Sells has been operating in Estonia for more than 30years.

Lobbying Activity

Response to Legislative initiative on CO2 transportation infrastructure and markets

8 Sept 2025

Legislative initiative on CO2 transportation infrastructure and markets Estonia has accumulated over 1 billion tons of industrial waste, including 500 million tons of oil shale ash, which burdens the environment. These ash deposits now present an opportunity to reclaim critical raw materials like silica, magnesium, and aluminium, reducing EU dependence on imported resources through recycling. Ragn-Sells has developed a technology that, by extracting calcium oxide from oil shale ash and combining it with carbon dioxide, can produce precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC). In turn, PCC made from oil shale ash can then be used to produce new products (flooring, paints, and other construction materials), products that today are produced primarily from mined limestone. By removing the calcium, the above strategic and critical raw materials can be extracted. Both biogenic and fossil carbon dioxide are usable in the process. The technology itself is carbon-negative since the carbon dioxide used in the process will be captured instead of released into the atmosphere, thus making the end product climate-positive. Ragn-Sells urges the Commission to ensure that legislative and soft measures on the CO2 market and infrastructure in the EU recognise CO2 storage in products equally with geological storage, actively promote the use of CO2 in mineralisation, and treat all CO2 emissions equally regardless of origin. While we welcome the Commissions evaluation initiative and support the proposed measures, these key points are critical to ensuring a fair and effective framework. · We support the Commissions strong commitment to phasing out fossil fuel activities in the EU. However, we are concerned that the current focus on permanent storage of captured CO2, as outlined in the call for evidence, may hinder the development of Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) technologies. We recommend that, alongside efforts to expand carbon sinks through Carbon Capture and Storage, there should be a strong emphasis on innovations that utilise carbon dioxide in materials. Adjusting regulatory and financial frameworks could incentivise these innovations and broaden carbon sink possibilities. · We see the need to nuance the CCU concept. The active promotion of mineralisation is important in many ways. It affects the EUs ability to both develop CCU technologies, as well as the unions extraction of critical raw materials. CCS is clearly the preferred environmental choice over using CO2 to produce fuels. However, if we use mineralisation technologies to store CO2 in long-lasting products, the situation changes. The storage of CO2 in carbonate is a cost-efficient and environmentally beneficial process. It is important, both for the environment and the EUs competitiveness, that stakeholders investing in mineralisation technologies are not prevented from doing so. · We urge the Commission to, at least initially, treating CO2 emissions equally, regardless of their origin. This can be achieved by permitting the use of all types of carbon dioxide in CCUS projects and planning for the gradual phase-out of fossil sources. Such a transition period is necessary to create incentives for investment in and the development of CCU technologies, using both biogenic and fossil CO2.
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Response to Carbon removals, carbon farming and carbon storage - certification methodologies for permanent carbon removals

25 Jul 2025

Incentivise innovations that store carbon in materials Ragn-Sells welcomes the Commissions strong commitment to phasing out fossil fuel activities in the EU. Along with this, we also see the commitment from the Commission to create necessary carbon sinks by hiding away as much carbon dioxide as possible through Carbon Capture and Storage technologies. We would, however, welcome a parallel, stronger focus, on the development of innovations that utilise carbon from carbon dioxide in materials. Current regulatory and financial frameworks could be reshaped to incentivise such innovations and expand carbon sink possibilities. With the right legal conditions, Europe has great potential to use waste to extract key raw materials, such as silica, aluminium and magnesium all classified as strategic raw materials in the Critical Raw Materials Act. Today, existing legislation, as well as the lack of common carbon management rules and standards and a sufficient transportation network for carbon dioxide, hinder the development of circular innovations that utilise carbon dioxide as a raw material. One way to address this challenge would be to initially permit the use of all types of carbon dioxide in Carbon Capture and Utilisation projects and plan for the gradual phasing out of fossil sources. Such a transition period is necessary to create incentives for investment in and the development of CCU technologies. The Commission should also propose a legislative package that ensures an open, non-discriminatory, multimodal, cross-border carbon dioxide transport and storage network, thereby improving the current underdeveloped transportation infrastructure. Another way would be to broaden the definition of permanently stored carbon, for example, if a producer can show proof of storage and that the carbon is securely bound. The use of paint made from bound carbon dioxide applied to concrete or brick walls could, for example, count as permanent storage. An additional request is better support mechanisms for carbon capture. If we are about to lower the threshold for carbon capture, the process needs to increase profitability. It can be done by, for example, introducing some sort of financial support system during a transition period.
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Response to Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator Act

20 Jun 2025

Ragn-Sell has developed a technology that, by extracting calcium oxide from oil shale ash and combining it with carbon dioxide, can produce precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC). The PCC can then be used to produce new products (flooring, paints, and other construction materials), products that today are produced primarily from mined limestone. The technology is carbon-negative since the carbon dioxide used in the process will be captured instead of released, which makes the product climate-positive. Both biogenic and fossil carbon dioxide can be used in the process. When the calcium has been removed, magnesium, aluminium and silica can be extracted from the ash. A FIRST full scale factory has the potential to produce material that could account for 30% of the EUs annual targeted production of magnesium, which would reduce the need for new energy-intense mining of critical raw materials and strengthen the EUs autonomy. With our technology, Europe could be self-sufficient in strategic raw materials and, at the same time, reduce CO2 emissions by binding it in PCC, which can be used to produce low-carbon products. Raw materials that are today imported from third countries release CO2. Ragn-Sells welcomes the Commissions initiative to put forward an Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator Act and the objectives in the call for evidence. We agree with the need for facilitating permitting procedures and reduction of the uncertainty that comes with high risks linked to investments in decarbonisation projects. There are, however, several barriers to our solution today, which have an impact on carbon capture utilisation and storage projects access to CO2, something we would like the Commission to consider when drafting the Act. One of our main barriers today is the predominant focus on carbon capture and storage when talking about carbon management. This focus is hampering innovation for technology in carbon capture and utilisation. Another barrier is the uncertainty of the origin of the CO2. Due to the Commission's strong commitment to reducing fossil fuel activities in the EU, using fossil carbon dioxide is often met with scepticism. We support the efforts to move away from fossil fuels, but, in this case, the reluctance to support the use of fossil carbon dioxide impedes innovations that could reduce the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. The effort to apply for funding or participate in EU projects is high today. Even though we are experienced in writing applications, we still find it hard to determine if it is worth the effort. Initiatives such as the strategic projects within the Critical Raw Materials Act and the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform are both good steps in this direction, but there is more to be done. We are, therefore, happy about the Commissions ambition to speed up permitting procedures and facilitate the identification of decarbonisation projects. We have applied for funding from the LIFE programme twice and got a very mixed response. First, we were told that including fossil producers was bad, and second time, when we wrote a new application based on the response we got the first time, we got questions about why we had not included the fossil sector. Our application was rejected both times but for different reasons. Another experience relates to the Innovation Fund, which has strict rules for financial maturity. We need investors to commit, but since it is not possible to demonstrate the final product price, due to lack of regulation and a non-existing market, this investment comes with a huge risk, and in turn, affects our possibilities to get funding from the Innovation fund. The lack of rules and the lack of market prevents us from developing and reaching that financial maturity. We therefore call on the Commission to, through the Act, facilitate the funding processes. It does not matter how easy it is to find information about calls for new projects if there is uncertainty a
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Meeting with Jörgen Warborn (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)

30 Apr 2025 · Omnibus

Meeting with Jüri Ratas (Member of the European Parliament)

27 Mar 2025 · Circular waste

Meeting with Wopke Hoekstra (Commissioner) and

26 Mar 2025 · Discussion on the decarbonisation opportunities for businesses in Europe

Meeting with Ana Vasconcelos (Member of the European Parliament)

6 Feb 2025 · Water Resilience Initiative

Meeting with Jüri Ratas (Member of the European Parliament)

16 Dec 2024 · Future of oil shale ash

Meeting with Maroš Šefčovič (Executive Vice-President) and Eesti Kaubandus-Tööstuskoda and

15 Apr 2024 · Implementation of the European Green Deal

Meeting with Ditte Juul-Joergensen (Director-General Energy) and Transport and Environment (European Federation for Transport and Environment) and

23 Feb 2024 · Energy market

Meeting with Ville Niinistö (Member of the European Parliament)

12 Apr 2023 · CRCF (staff level)

Meeting with Stina Soewarta (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager), Thomas Woolfson (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager) and

4 Apr 2023 · EU supports Member States’ business environment and EU’s approach towards the green and digital transition

Meeting with Diederik Samsom (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans), Helena Braun (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans) and

4 Apr 2023 · Green Deal, Fitfor55, Emissions Trading System (ETS)

Meeting with Florian Denis (Cabinet of Commissioner Mairead Mcguinness) and Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB (publ) and

3 Apr 2023 · corporate sustainability reporting

Meeting with Nils Torvalds (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)

7 Feb 2023 · Urban wastewater treatment

Meeting with Helena Braun (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans) and Miltton Europe and Ragn-Sellsföretagen

10 Oct 2022 · Preparatory meeting for a broader exchange with interested Cabinets on Ragn-Sells OSA project for circular economy

Meeting with Helena Braun (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans)

19 Jul 2022 · Implementation of the EU Circular Economy Action Plan and the role of recycled materials, including opportunities from resource recovery from oil shale ash waste deposits

Meeting with Frans Timmermans (Executive Vice-President) and Ragn-Sellsföretagen

19 May 2022 · Presentation of circular OSA project on the recovery of resources from oil shale ash waste deposits