- Until a few years ago, my party was against CCS, says Oliver Grundmann, as one of the first.
The German politician and member of the Bundestag in Berlin for the German CDU party, which was in government from 2005 to 2021 with Angela Merkel at the helm. The large and traditional party has now been relegated to the opposition seats.
Under the new chairman of the party, Frederich Merz, Oliver Grundmann, as the party's expert in the field, has done a thorough job. It is now clear that the party is in favor of CCS and the storage of CO2 underground.
Now legislation is missing that will also ensure that, on the contrary, it is now permitted to export CO2 across national borders.
- We are working on legislation, and as it looks now, it could become a reality within five to six months. Habeck is in favor, even though parts of the Greens are not yet. I am sure that the legislation will come, says Oliver Grundmann, referring to the Greens' Minister of Industry and Vice Chancellor.
The necessary pipeline
The politician sees the potential as enormous, and Denmark is the ideal partner when the CO2 is to be stored.
- Denmark is a great partner for us. You are close by, and there are good geological conditions, says Grundmann, turning to a need:
- Not long ago, I visited a cement factory near Berlin. The factory's need to get rid of CO2 was equivalent to a completely full train car every single day. That is why a pipeline is needed.
The politician knows that Denmark and Germany have similar geological opportunities in the North Sea, but there is a difference.
- Denmark is number one, because you have the empty oil and gas reserves where the CO2 can be stored, he explains.
Environmentally, Grundmann sees absolutely no concerns.
- I have absolutely zero environmental concerns about the storage, he promises.
Huge business potential
During his visit to Denmark, the German politician met the mayor of Hjørring Municipality, Søren Smalbro (V).
- I don't think you Danes are aware of how big a potential there is here and what it could mean for the area, says Oliver Grundmann, before turning to another option.
Danish plans to also store CO2 onshore could make CCS much cheaper.
- We know from the US that onshore storage only costs 10 percent of what offshore storage costs. This opens up completely new possibilities, says Oliver Grundmann.
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