German industrial giants like Heidelberg Cement and Linde are carbon capture technology leaders. It is home to some of the world’s best ecosystems of academia and private partnerships. The country is already in an ideal position. Now, German policymakers must think ahead. This development is welcome and signals the realization that Germany is unlikely to reach its climate goals without carbon capture, removal, and storage. The directive also refers to a second stage, which includes funding for large demonstrations. The government approved its 2030 Climate Action Program, which stated that carbon capture technology offers “a comparatively low-cost reduction possibility for unavoidable emissions from industrial processes in the mid-term.” At the beginning of February, Germany announced a funding directive for commercializing capture technologies, while scoping CO 2 transport infrastructure options. Just last week, politicians from German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative CDU/CSU alliance, which is also known as Union and some of whose members have been vocal on the need for carbon capture, formed a climate group, the so-called “ Climate Union” to push their parties towards a climate-aligned policy pathway.Īt the same time, there has also been some activity from the German government. And the results from the first round of the EU Innovation Fund application also show that multiple projects in Germany applied for support. Heidelberg Cement, which is pursuing carbon capture in multiple countries outside of Germany, recently announced that its second LEILAC Demonstration plant-now four times bigger than the first one -would be built in Hannover, Germany. A new paper, which is the result of a decarbonization dialogue with Germany’s industrial giants, outlines the necessary components of industrial decarbonization carbon capture, removal, and storage technologies form one of five key decarbonization pillars. Around the same time, the German Greens told the press that all technologies must be on the table to reduce process-related industrial emissions. Over the past six months, momentum for this sort of shift in approach has slowly built.ĭuring a panel with Heidelberg CEO Dominik von Achten, Fridays for Future (FFF) activist Luisa Neubauer argued that a carbon capture debate needs to happen, and pointed to a study prepared for FFF that also considers the potential role of carbon capture, removal, and storage in Germany’s decarbonization pathway. As a world leader in innovation, Germany is also well positioned to commercialize carbon removal technologies, which will be required to deliver negative emissions. While comprehensive pathways will require multiple technologies-including hydrogen and renewable energies-mitigation of process emissions will be dependent on carbon capture, removal, and storage technologies. With the European Commission tightening the European Emissions Trading System and devising a carbon border adjustment mechanism, emissions reductions and industrial transformation pathways through innovation are necessary to ensure industrial competitiveness and continued viability of these sectors in a carbon-constrained world. To achieve further reductions, Germany has to innovate. While overall emissions from the sector have dropped over the past thirty years, its share relative to total emissions has remained relatively constant, signaling that the low-hanging fruit of efficiency gains have long been harvested. The industrial sector employs some 5.5 million people, accounting for about a quarter of Germany’s gross domestic product. Germany is also the European Union’s (EU) largest cement and steel producer. Fortunately, over the past few months momentum has slowly built.Ībout a quarter of German emissions stem from industry, with the lion’s share generated by cement, steel, and chemicals production. The lack of progress was jarring, as the support for carbon capture technologies from the scientific community grew rapidly. However, for quite a while there was virtually no movement, even as Norway, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Germany’s own industrial giants moved ahead with funding and projects. It has been close to two years since German Chancellor Angela Merkel put carbon capture, removal, and storage back on the German policy agenda.
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