Underground CO2 storage in Germany - Current possibilities and limitations

Germany is by far the largest European CO2 emitting country-especially from fossil fuel combustion. Germany's national commitment exceeds the Kyoto commitment by far. CO2 emissions have to be reduced by 25% until 2005, relative to 1990. This goal is very ambitious since Germany has decided to shut down nuclear power plants. The National Climate Protection Program does not include underground CO2 deposition as a reduction measure yet. This option however, is considered to be an interesting additional way of emission reduction. CO2 from large point sources, e.g. power plants, steel works, and cement industry, could be injected into depleted natural gas reservoirs or saline aquifers. This technology requires compliance with national legislation and public acceptance. We suggest to investigate open geotechnological questions in a pilot study.