GERMANY PLANS TO ENABLE UNDERGROUND STORAGE OF CARBON DIOXIDE AT OFFSHORE SITES

Germany plans to enable underground carbon storage at offshore sites, pushing ahead with a much-discussed technology in an acknowledgement that time is running out to combat climate change, the country's vice chancellor said this week.

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Europe's biggest economy is making good progress with expanding renewable energy sources and usage, but a solution is needed for the carbon dioxide emitted by some sectors such as the cement industry that are “hard to abate,” said Robert Habeck, who is also the economy and climate minister.

Germany, which is home to many energy-intensive industries, aims to cut its emissions to “net zero” by 2045.

Habeck’s proposed “carbon management strategy,” which still needs to be turned into detailed legislation, foresees enabling the transport of carbon dioxide and its storage under the sea in Germany’s exclusive economic zone, except in marine conservation areas. It doesn’t foresee allowing storage sites on land, but Habeck said that could be considered later if German state governments approve.