This fall the development of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) will be normative and important for the whole development of CCS in Germany.
The new CCS law put forward by the German Departments of Environment and Economy will be an important part of the framework for CCS. The realization of a project which also has public support, another.
In an article late August this year Die Spiegel writes:
"Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet is expected to approve legislation in September that would open the door to greater CCS research at different sites around the country. The bill is the implementation of a 2009 European Union directive establishing the legal framework for the "safe geological storage" of CO2 to contribute to the fight against climate chage. Under the German bill, tests could be conducted in the country with a maximum total volume of 8 million tons per year, and mass quantities could only be stored after the technology's "harmlessness has been demonstrated." The government views CCS as a necessary step to secure the country's long-term energy supply. Under the bill, each German state would be given greater freedom to issue permits for research at potential CO2 storage sites -- in saline aquifiers like the one planned in Beeskow, or in empty oil and gas fields in other parts of the country."
The article gives an overview of the most frequently used arguments on both sides in the debate. What will be important now, is to ensure that all parties listens to each other's input, objections and questions. ZERO's goal is to
contribute to a knowledge based discussion in Germany, and to make a
meeting arena for that. ZERO hosts a seminar in Berlin, late October, with a
focus on the North Sea region and especially the situation in Germany,
regarding onshore storage of CO2. The seminar will present the latest research and
results on the area of CCS, with a special focus on onshore storage of
CO2, the situation in Germany and the region of Brandenburg. All stakeholders, proponents as opponents, in the region and in
Germany are welcome.
Germany: A new federal "CCS-law", out for consultation now
The proposed CCS law (only in German)
Blueprint Germany. A strategy for a climate safe 2050
News: Germany prolongs nuclear power
