2023-09-12 14:28:41
Finance Minister Magnus Brunner (ÖVP) wants to lift the ban on geological CO2 storage in Austria that has been in effect since 2011. If Brunner, who as minister is also responsible for mining, has his way, the ban should fall in the fall. An evaluation report from the Ministry of Finance on the law recommends lifting the ban, Brunner told journalists on Tuesday.
For this recommendation, however, the Ministry of Finance still needs the approval of the Ministry of Climate Protection, which is currently still examining the report. A result cannot yet be anticipated, according to the Climate Protection Ministry to the APA. “It is clear that storing CO2 can only ever be a last resort. It is very expensive and energy-intensive, only possible to a limited extent and is still far from being ready for the market. These framework conditions must also be reflected in a possible new law,” says the ministry of the Green Climate Protection Minister Leonore Gewessler, which is looking for a “technical discussion and not ideological approaches”.
The Ministry of Finance says that additional strategies for binding greenhouse gases are needed in order to achieve Austria’s climate goals. “My position is clear: I am in favor of creating the legal framework to be able to transport, store and use CO2,” said Brunner in a press conference. According to internal analyzes by the Ministry of Finance, 5 to 10 million tons of CO2 would have to be stored annually in order to cost-effectively achieve the Austrian goal of climate neutrality by 2040. The initiative is primarily intended to support industries that are difficult to decarbonize, such as the cement industry, but the focus is still on avoiding and saving CO2 emissions, emphasized Brunner.
Brunner is inviting experts from various areas to the Ministry of Finance on Wednesday to develop a national “Carbon Management Strategy”. Tomorrow, entrepreneurs, politicians, social partners, NGOs and scientists will meet. But representatives from the climate protection, labor and economic ministries, the Federal Chancellery and the Federal Environment Agency should also be involved. The strategy should be in place by early to mid-2024 so that concrete measures can be decided. The current legislative period lasts a maximum of twelve months.
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