Germany’s Economic Minister, Katherina Reiche, is facing criticism for her plans to allow the separation and storage of CO2 (CCS) in Germany, including explicitly including gas power plants in the plans. This move is being met with skepticism, even from within her own coalition.
Nina Scheer, the energy policy spokesperson for the SPD parliamentary group, told the Spiegel, “CCS at gas power plants is at odds with investments in climate-friendly replacements for natural gas. If the focus is on the construction of new gas power plants, it would contradict the statements on climate goals, cost efficiency and safety.”
Michael Kellner, the energy policy spokesperson for the Greens, criticized Reiche for wanting to “build castles in the air or artificially prolong fossil businesses.” Instead, Germany should focus on green gases like hydrogen and electrification, possibly through heat pumps, Kellner said. He added that CCS is technically complex and expensive, having previously served as parliamentary state secretary under Reiche’s predecessor, Robert Habeck of the Greens.
The Ministry of Economics plans to bring a law to the Bundestag in the fall, which would declare the construction of CO2 storage facilities and pipelines as being of “overriding public interest” as stated in a draft document sent to Reiche. A similar provision in a law had previously accelerated the expansion of renewable energy under the previous government of the SPD, the Greens and the Free Democratic Party. Reiche, however, has publicly advocated for the separation and storage of CO2, including from gas power plants.