German economy minister Katherina Reiche
Germany eyes blue hydrogen as cabinet backs CCS
Draft law opens door to large-scale carbon capture and storage, and could unleash investment in gas-based hydrogen projects
Germany’s cabinet has adopted draft legislation allowing the widespread deployment of CCS and CCUS, in a move that could spur investment in blue hydrogen production. The draft law, which will need to be debated further before final adoption, also allows for CCS to abate gas-fired power plants, which the government accepts will continue to play a key role in the energy mix despite the rapid expansion of the country’s renewables sector. CCS for coal-fired power plants is ruled out. The draft law calls for the expansion at pace of a CO₂ pipeline network and allows for the development of onshore CO₂ storage, as well as offshore facilities. “This law has created the possibility of producing blue
Also in this section
18 March 2026
The second fossil-fuel price shock in four years can be a much-needed catalyst for investment in the sector
9 March 2026
Hydrogen has not stalled in the UK because the technology does not work. The problem is that the system around it does not yet move at the speed required
4 March 2026
Turmoil in Middle East reminds nascent clean hydrogen sector that its future prospects are dependent on global energy markets and geopolitics
25 February 2026
Low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia development is advancing much more slowly and unevenly than once expected, with high costs and policy uncertainty thinning investment. Meanwhile, surging energy demand is reinforcing the role of natural gas and LNG as the backbone of the global energy system, panellists at LNG2026 said
