Copyright Reuters
BERLIN, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Germany's Bundestag lower house of parliament cleared the way on Thursday for underground carbon storage, passing a law that designates CO2 storage sites and pipelines as being of "overriding public interest" to speed up planning and approvals. The measure is intended to help Germany achieve climate neutrality by 2045 by enabling the capture and storage of hard-to-abate emissions, notably from cement and lime production and from waste incineration. Sign up here. The law allows the use of carbon capture and storage (CCS) at gas‑fired power plants but bans it at coal‑fired plants. Onshore storage remains generally prohibited, though federal states can opt in by passing their own legislation. Industry groups welcomed the move but called for public funding to build out CO2 transport infrastructure, arguing that pipelines and hubs will be critical to scale the technology. Environmental campaigners, however, warned the reform could blunt efforts to cut emissions at source. Until now, underground CO2 storage in Germany has been permitted only for research projects.
