Governance of CO2 storage: How can risks be addressed and reduced?

The political debate on carbon storage has gained new momentum. As part of the Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA), the European Commission is proposing "an EU target to reach an annual injection capacity of 50 Mt of CO₂ in strategic storage sites in the EU by 2030".

There are risks associated with the permanent storage of CO₂. Some of these risks relate to the technology in general and some are site-specific. Others are more political and value-based, such as public confidence in the long-term monitoring of storage sites, in (science-based) information, and ultimately in decision-makers' ability to decide on the local deployment of permanent CO₂ storage.

As with any technology, there are criteria that need to be met to minimise these risks, and risk management procedures and governance structures that can be put in place to manage the remaining risks. Given the lack of trust and fierce political discussions in recent years, participatory governance and building trust in actors and policies is a key lever for the future deployment of CO₂ storage.

The aim of this workshop is to discuss options for governance structures to manage and reduce the risks of CO₂ storage. It will build on the first workshop, which identified and discussed the technical risks and options to reduce them. The results of the workshop will be used to derive policy recommendations to be presented in September 2024.

Please register by 26/06/2024.

Find the agenda here.