BERLIN, Feb 26 — Germany will change its laws to allow carbon capture and storage technology in certain CO2-intensive industrial sectors as Europe’s biggest economy aims to become carbon neutral by 2045, Economy Minister Robert Habeck said today.

Carbon capture and storage, or CCS, removes from the atmosphere carbon dioxide produced by industrial processes or captures it at the point of emission and stores it underground.

In Germany, its use has been restricted under a law passed in 2012 that gave federal states power to veto its use. But as Europe’s largest CO2 polluter is likely to miss its goal to produce net zero emissions by 2045, Berlin has reconsidered CCS.

Under the new law changes, transportation of CO2 and its storage in sub-seabed will be allowed, Habeck added.

"The technology is safe,” the minister told a news conference presenting the government carbon management strategy. — Reuters