The Commission has published a call for evidence and a public consultation on industrial carbon management – carbon capture, utilisation and storage deployment. Running for 12 weeks, this consultation is aimed at getting input from stakeholders and citizens which will feed into the Commission’s preparations for a new EU strategy for carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) deployment in the EU. The Commission’s communication on an EU strategy for establishing an industrial carbon management market by 2030 is due for publication by the end of 2023. It will cover industrial carbon management through the transport, use, and storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) captured from fossil fuel, biogenic and atmospheric sources. The new strategy will serve emitters in hard-to-abate sectors who would need to apply carbon capture and storage (CCS), carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) or industrial carbon removals in order to achieve climate neutrality.
Through contributing to this consultation, respondents have the opportunity to share their views and provide feedback on various CCS and CCU-related issues, including specific policy recommendations. In broad terms, it will cover what role these technologies can play in decarbonising the EU economy by 2030, 2040 and 2050, respectively; and what measures are needed to optimise their potential, including in the deployment of EU-wide CO2 transport and storage infrastructures. It covers procedural questions on the policy framework and regulation, business involvement, international cooperation and public awareness.
Citizens and stakeholders can contribute to the call for evidence and public consultation until the deadline on 31 August 2023. The consultation is split into two sections, available in all EU languages – a general section and an expert section. Respondents can answer one or both sections. It is also possible for organisations to submit position papers.
Background
This initiative supports the Commission’s work to decarbonise the EU economy, as committed to in the Green Deal Industrial Plan, and to achieve the EU’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction targets, outlined in the European Green Deal and embodied in the European Climate Law. Industrial carbon management will play an important role in this regard. This is reflected in the Net Zero Industry Act, proposed by the Commission in March 2023, which tables an annual CO2 storage capacity of 50 million tonnes by 2030 as an EU-level objective.
The consultation draws on the work of the CCUS Forum Working Groups, and in particular two of their issue papers: The first describes a vision of deploying CCS and CCU in the EU to enable the achievement of the EU’s climate ambitions, while the second underlines the need for a European cross-border CO2 infrastructure.
