German government does not see CO2 storage for years

18.05.2026

Source: E & M powernews

The German government expects it will take up to ten years to store CO2 in Germany. It considers exports for storage to make sense, especially within the EU emissions trading scheme.

The German government assumes that the development of carbon dioxide storage facilities in Germany would take eight to ten years. This is according to the Federal Government's answer to a minor question from the AfD parliamentary group. There are currently no CO2 storage facilities in Germany.

According to the German government, exporting CO2 for storage abroad only makes economic sense if companies do not have to surrender emissions trading certificates for the stored quantities. For this reason, storage is primarily an option in countries that are subject to the European emissions trading system. Agreements on the export of CO2 are "primarily" conceivable with these countries.

The German government also points out that the safety requirements for CO2 storage facilities must be regulated by the country in question. Member states of the European Union are bound by strict European requirements for monitoring and control.

Monitoring risks

In its response, the German government also refers to the assessment of offshore CCS technology. Among other things, it refers to a position paper published by the Federal Environment Agency in 2023, according to which CCS is described in scientific publications and regulatory assessment frameworks as being "increasingly resilient in relation to partial aspects". The German government cites operating data from a few large-scale CCS projects, such as in Norway, as well as experimental and model-based data sets as a basis.

At the same time, the German government points to location-dependent risks. Physical-chemical processes of CO2 storage are generally transferable. However, the integrity of geological barriers, possible migration paths and environmental impacts depend heavily on local geological, hydrodynamic and ecological conditions. Site-specific assessments and monitoring programs are therefore necessary.

Extensive environmental requirements are also to apply to projects for CO2 storage under the seabed. According to the German government, the High Seas Dumping Act obliges project developers to investigate and document impacts on the marine environment, ecosystems and biodiversity. The data obtained must be submitted to the responsible authorities.

Bundestag approves CO2 exports

The background to the request are amendments to the London Protocol and the High Seas Dumping Act, which the Bundestag passed at the end of January. According to the Federal Government, the Treaty Act to the London Protocol creates the domestic requirements for ratification of the amendments to Article 6 of the Protocol. This will put Germany in a position to allow exceptions to the current export ban on substances and objects and to enable CO2 exports for storage under the seabed.

However, according to the German government, this does not yet create an obligation to conclude specific export agreements with other countries. The compliance costs required for this have been taken into account in the First Act Amending the High Seas Storage Act.

The German government also specified which emissions it classifies as "severe or unavoidable". This wording in the draft law refers in particular to process emissions from the lime and cement industry as well as emissions from waste incineration.

According to the German government, the extent of monitoring and reporting obligations is to be specified in the respective approval notice. The type, scope and duration of monitoring would depend on the respective project, the methods used and the expected effects and uncertainties.

Author: Susanne Harmsen