Tuesday, November 3, 2026

1:55 PM - 3:35 PM

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Details

Germany has banned geological storage of CO2 , onshore and offshore, for a long time. However, a recent change in federal government policy has created a basis for CCS developments, following the recognition of CCS as an indispensable tool to reach Germany’s goal of net-zero by 2050. This has already led to significant levels of activity in various areas, which include offshore storage exploration efforts and emitters being granted Innovation Fund subsidy. As storage of CO 2 focuses on offshore areas, although the states can allow storage onshore, exploration for storage capacity focuses on the German sector of the North Sea; further offshore storage capacity is available in several projects operating or developing in neighbouring countries. This means that CO 2 captured at energy-intensive industrial sites in the Ruhr area or Bavaria is to be transported to a coastal site with access to pipeline or ship transport. Plans for a national pipeline-based transport infrastructure are being developed, but early capture projects will have to develop and operate multi-modal transport solutions until pipeline capacity is available. Current initiatives include several industrial capture projects, as well as CO2 terminals that will connect to offshore storage capacity. This session gives an overview of current CCS policy at federal and regional levels, the vision on a national transport infrastructure, storage exploration activities, as well as of plans to develop large-scale industrial capture projects.