At the beginning of August, the German government approved reforms to accelerate the development of infrastructure for carbon capture and storage, reports Reuters.

Industries that are challenging to decarbonize, such as cement and lime production as well as gas-fired power plants, will be able to store CO2 on offshore, under the seabed or inland provided if individual federal states permit it within their jurisdictions.

The draft law will classify the construction and operation of CO2 storage facilities and pipelines as being of “overriding public interest”. It will also streamline planning and approval procedures.

According to the document, existing natural gas pipelines may be adapted or repurposed for carbon transport.

As the agency notes, geologically, Germany has roughly 1.5 to 8.3 billion t of CO2 storage capacity in its part of the North Sea and can store up to 20 million t annually.

Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Katharina Reiche called this step an important milestone for the industry. According to her, the country needs this technology to ensure competitiveness.

The previous German government introduced steps to advance CCS technology but failed to implement them due to the coalition’s collapse. The new project is more ambitious.

As a reminder, in July, German steelmakers called for the rapid implementation of the European steel and metals plan. According to the country’s steel industry association (WVStahl), federal authorities must take specific actions – more reliable trade protection, competitive electricity prices followed by a reduction of transmission tariffs, and public procurement consistently focused on creating green value “made in Germany and the EU”.