Austria moves to lift its 2011 ban on underground CO2 storage with draft act

Carbon Herald just published Austria Drafts CO2 Storage Act To End 2011 Underground Storage Ban.

Carbon Herald reports that the Austrian government has released a draft law, the Kohlenstoffdioxid-Speicherungsgesetz, which would formally end the country’s prohibition on geological storage of CO2. The ban dates back to 2011 and has kept Austria out of onshore carbon capture and storage development for more than a decade. The draft follows earlier signals from Vienna that it intended to move toward a national carbon management framework covering hard-to-abate industrial emissions. According to the outlet, the text is a draft at this stage, meaning it still has to move through consultation and parliamentary approval before storage projects could be permitted. The report frames the move as bringing Austria closer to EU-level policy on CCS and industrial carbon management.

Our take (Heads-up): The direction is clear and consistent with Austria’s stated carbon management plans, so the headline holds up. What is missing is the substance: which emitters qualify, how long-term liability is handled, what storage capacity Austria actually has, and whether the law covers CO2 removals or only fossil and process emissions. A draft is a starting point, not a permit, so treat timelines as open.

-> Read the full piece at Carbon Herald

Captain Drawdown is flagging this. The reporting is Carbon Herald’s. Go read them directly, not a rewrite from us.

Source: Carbon Herald