The energy and climate debate is among today's most pressing and most relevant points of discussion. There are different strategies for meeting the future energy demand without harming the climate.
Carbon dioxide capture and storage(CCS) is a climate change mitigation option that reduces CO2 emissions by capturing them at major fossil fuel combustion plants and other industrial facilities such as bitumen upgrades, and storing them underground.
Exactly because nuclear energy will be banned in Germany in the future, CCS will increasingly be in the focus of the debate on climate protection, since at the moment, renewable energies are not yet sufficiently available to guarantee a nationwide energy supply.
Under these circumstances, recourse to energy generation from coal is the most obvious option. CCS might make this type of energy generation a low-carbon option.
Therefore, Germany tried to make Carbon Dioxide Storage Act, KSpG(Kohlendioxid- Speicherungsgesetz) in short German. But the first proposal of German Carbon Dioxide Storage Act(2009) did not pass in the Senate (Bundesrat) because of unsolved safety risk and ambiguous liability.
Especially, people of potential carbon dioxide storage site opposed this proposal. Therefore, we can learn a lot from trials and errors of German Carbon Dioxide Storage Act. We can’t emphasize the importance of public acceptance on CCS too much.
Currently some Korean ministries such as Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries are preparing for an act on Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage. Bearing in mind bitter experiences of Germany, we should make every effort to make a good act on Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage with sharing information and knowhow between ministries.