• Bill accelerates planning and approval for CO2 capture, transport, and storage, classifying projects as in the “overriding public interest”.
• Hard-to-abate industries like cement, lime, and gas power can store CO2 offshore, under the seabed, or inland with state approval.
• Existing natural gas pipelines can be converted to carry CO2, reducing the need for new infrastructure.

Germany’s cabinet has approved a reform bill aimed at rapidly advancing carbon capture and storage (CCS) infrastructure, a critical step in the country’s plan to reach carbon neutrality by 2045 while supporting its hardest-to-decarbonise industries.

CCS technology captures carbon dioxide either directly from the atmosphere or at the point of emission, storing it underground to prevent release into the atmosphere. The bill will allow sectors such as cement and lime production, as well as gas power plants, to store CO2 offshore, under the seabed, or inland where federal states grant permission.

To streamline progress, the legislation classifies the construction and operation of CO2 storage facilities and pipelines as being in the “overriding public interest,” enabling simplified planning and approval procedures. It also authorizes authorities to take over private land for CO2 pipeline construction, with compensation provided.

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The new framework is more ambitious than previous proposals, which failed to pass before the collapse of Germany’s last government in November. It includes provisions for adapting or converting existing natural gas pipelines to transport carbon dioxide, significantly reducing the need for entirely new infrastructure.

Germany’s geological potential for storage is substantial, with an estimated capacity of 1.5 billion to 8.3 billion tons of CO2 beneath its portion of the North Sea. The country could store up to 20 million tons annually under the plan.

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