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How can we effectively manage unavoidable CO₂ emissions on the path to climate neutrality? A joint event organized by LibMod, FfE, and vbw in Munich addressed this question. The focus was on the prerequisites for scaling up carbon management in southern Germany. The discussion revealed that technical solutions alone are not enough. Infrastructure, investment security, political coordination, and societal acceptance are crucial.

Southern Germany Needs Its Own Infrastructure Strategy

The distance to potential offshore storage sites and the likely delayed connection to a national CO₂ pipeline network pose particular challenges for Southern Germany. Therefore, regional solutions planned well in advance are needed. Discussions focused on the gradual development of clusters and core networks that can later be integrated into a supraregional CO₂ network. Rail transport can facilitate initial projects but is not a long-term solution.

The Entire Value Chain Must Grow Together

The market ramp-up of carbon management depends on the parallel development of CO₂ capture, transport, and storage. Investments in individual elements of the value chain will not materialize if the downstream steps are not available or sufficiently secured. Cluster approaches can help pool volumes, coordinate interfaces, and reduce investment risks.

Investments Require Targeted Risk Mitigation

Investments are considered the foundation for scaling up. At the same time, significant risks emerge in the early market phase—for example, in infrastructure construction, regulatory changes, or capacity utilization issues. A successful scale-up therefore requires tools that reduce risks along the entire value chain and provide investment certainty.

The federal and state governments must clearly define their roles

A functioning CO₂ network requires close coordination between regional and supraregional stakeholders. While the states are key partners for regional planning and implementation, an overarching perspective is also needed for network expansion, timelines, and regulation. Unclear responsibilities can delay infrastructure development.

Public acceptance is a key success factor

The discussion made it clear that public acceptance does not begin only with the construction of infrastructure. Transparent processes, early public engagement, and clear communication about the opportunities, risks, and applications of CCS are crucial. Carbon management is considered particularly relevant in areas where emissions are technically difficult or impossible to avoid.

Conclusion: The regulatory framework for carbon management continues to evolve, and the first funding instruments are now in place. The task now is to advance infrastructure planning, investment preparation, regulatory clarification, and public engagement efforts in parallel. Only in this way can carbon management contribute in a timely manner to reducing unavoidable emissions and securing industrial value creation in southern Germany.

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