Launch of the German Carbon Management Initiative – Business joins forces to achieve a climate-neutral industry
- A cross-sector alliance to promote Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCU/S) in Germany.
- The initiative calls for a policy framework to support an efficient CO2 infrastructure, as well as low-emission industrial processes and hydrogen production.
- Focus on public acceptance and market development for CCU/S technologies.
With the launch of the German Carbon Management Initiative, leading companies in the gas and hydrogen sectors are sending a strong signal in favour of using and storing CO2 as a climate protection solution. The initiative’s aim is to drive forward a sustainable carbon management strategy in Germany and to improve the political and economic framework conditions for Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCU/S).
“The decarbonisation of industry is one of the greatest challenges of our time. We must utilise all available technologies to reduce hard-to-avoid CO2 emissions whilst safeguarding the competitiveness of the German economy. Carbon management is a key component in this,” emphasises Dr Timm Kehler, Chairman of the Gas and Hydrogen Industry Association (Gas- und Wasserstoffwirtschaft e. V.).
The founding members – SEFE, OGE, Gasunie, Uniper and Höegh Evi – bring their extensive experience in the fields of infrastructure, trading and storage to the table. Together, they aim to drive the development of an efficient CO2 value chain in Germany – from capture and transport to geological storage and export or utilisation. A key task of the initiative is to raise public awareness of CCU/S as a clean-tech solution and to remove regulatory barriers. Whilst other European countries such as Norway, Denmark and the Netherlands are already implementing comprehensive carbon management programmes, Germany still lacks a uniform legal framework.
In addition to its political work, the initiative will establish a platform for dialogue between emitters, infrastructure operators, climate protection and environmental organisations, policymakers and the scientific community. “Only through CO2 capture, storage and utilisation can Germany achieve its climate targets whilst maintaining its energy-intensive industry. We must now work with all stakeholders to build acceptance for this issue. The outgoing government has laid the groundwork for important decisions. We welcome the fact that the topic of CCU/S has also been included in the exploratory paper by the CDU and SPD, and as an initiative we intend to actively and knowledgeably support the upcoming coalition negotiations,” Kehler continued. The Gas and Hydrogen Industry Association, as the sponsoring organisation, will coordinate the initiative. Operational implementation and communication will be handled by the subsidiary GW Wirtschafts GmbH. Plans include a dedicated information platform, www.carbon-management-initiative.de, and the provision of best-practice examples for a successful CO2 economy.
