Belgian-German cooperation for CCS discussed

20.03.2026

Source: E & M powernews

The Carbon Management Alliance (CMA) is calling for more support through political risk-taking in order to implement solutions already planned for unavoidable CO2 emissions.

The Carbon Management Alliance (CMA) hosted a conference on the implementation of carbon capture and utilization (CCS/CCU) at the Belgian Embassy in Berlin on March 19. Belgian Ambassador to Germany Piet Heirbaut explained: "CCUS is a key issue for Belgium that is being implemented by the regions." The capture, transportation and storage of CO2 is already being planned. According to forecasts, neighboring North Rhine-Westphalia could collectively produce 40 million tons of CO2 annually, Heirbaut said.

Technical solutions need support

CMA CEO Alexandra Decker called for international cooperation: "Carbon management is not a national task, any more than the greenhouse gas CO2 is confined to borders." In the industry, the capture of CO2 has been technically solved, now transportation and storage of the gas as well as the establishment of a market for it must follow. Neither one company nor one industry can solve this major task alone. "Carbon management only works if the entire value chain is closely interlinked," said Decker, outlining the purpose of her alliance.

If the CO2-intensive industry is not only to be possible on the coast, a network for transportation must also be established, she appealed. The regulatory framework for contracts for difference and the offsetting of emission reductions, for example through biogenic binding of CO2, were still missing in the policy. A multimodal CO2 infrastructure will determine the success of European industry and climate protection, concluded Decker.

Capturing unavoidable emissions

Two thirds of CO2 emissions in the lime industry are technologically unavoidable, explained Andres Bode, Vice President of the Lhoist Group. Therefore, ways must be found to deal with greenhouse gases in order to achieve climate neutrality. The storage of CO2 is therefore part of the Group's strategy. As politicians set the climate protection targets, they must also ensure that there is a business case. Then the market ramp-up will also succeed.

Niko Bosnjak, Head of Energy Policy at gas transmission system operator OGE, described the development of carbon management to date. Some sections of the company's own gas network are already capable of transporting CO2 and the sections that need to be upgraded are also known. However, before implementation can begin, considerable quantities of gas must be reliably available. Decisions have yet to be made by both the industry partners and politicians.

As approval for CO2 storage under the German mainland is unlikely to be possible, plans are being made to transport it to the North Sea. However, the gas network is currently still more than fully utilized for the transport of natural gas, especially since more and more is being delivered via the LNG terminals on the coasts. He sees problems for further pipelines because the population is no longer very open to the construction of new infrastructure in addition to the electricity grid, railways and roads.

International cooperation

On behalf of the Belgian gas network operator Fluxys, SVO Corporate Commercial Arno Büx emphasized the good cooperation with the German side. The plans for a network vision are well advanced and could connect southern and eastern Germany. Between the Ruhr region, OGE and Fluxys, there is a plan for the "Ruhbens" line, in reference to the German-Flemish painter.

Tom Hautekiet, Chief Transformation at the port of Antwerp-Bruges, emphasized the importance of his port for connecting industry on land and the sea as a storage site for CO2. The infrastructure is currently being built to store 2.5 million tons of CO2 annually underground and to transport 4.5 million tons via Rotterdam to other storage sites.

Nina Scholz, Country Manager Germany for the Norwegian gas company Equinor, explained that her company is also prepared to store CO2 from other countries. Based on decades of experience with oil and gas production and the geological conditions, the company has technical experience with storage in subsea formations. An undersea pipeline is being planned to transport CO2 from the Netherlands to the storage sites.

As the economic risks are very high, there should be political support from the countries involved, she demanded. The decision in favor of the Norwegian projects had only been possible thanks to strong state support, and in Denmark and the UK, too, state involvement had provided security. The conference participants called for a similar decision to be made quickly in Germany.

Author: Susanne Harmsen