Switzerland faces infrastructure gaps for CO2 capture

Switzerland is not making any progress with CO2 capture Keystone-SDA

Switzerland must actively remove CO2 from the air in order to become climate-neutral by 2050. However, the infrastructure for this isn't in place.

+ Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox

According to the Swiss Climate Protection Act, from 2050 Switzerland may not emit more greenhouse gases than can be absorbed by natural and technical reservoirs.

Emissions must therefore be drastically reduced in the next 25 years, while unavoidable emissions from construction, waste incineration and agriculture are captured. According to federal estimates, this amounts to around 12 million tonnes of CO2 per year.

Pressing CO2 into the seabed

One hope rests on carbon capture and storage (CCS): CO2 is captured at source, for example in incineration plants, liquefied and injected into former oil fields or the seabed. Alternatively, CO2 can be filtered directly from the atmosphere.

Trees do this naturally, but technical-chemical methods could make the process even more reliable. However, these methods are expensive and energy-intensive. There is also a lack of storage capacity.

Swiss company Climeworks wants to be a pioneer

Despite all the challenges, the Zurich-based company Climeworks believes in the market. The spin-off of the Swiss federal technology institute ETH Zurich has been developing technologies for filtering CO2 from the air since 2009.

Its collectors work like giant vacuum cleaners that capture CO2. The goal: to remove billions of tonnes of CO2 per year by 2050 with globally distributed systems. Around 200 companies and 21,000 private individuals are already using Climeworks.

However, capacity is still in its infancy. Two plants in Iceland can currently remove a maximum of 40,000 tonnes of CO2 per year – a fraction of the required quantities. It remains to be seen when further plants will follow.

Unresolved transportation issue

CO2 capture directly at source is more efficient, says Hans-Michael Kellner, CEO of Messer Switzerland, in an interview with the news agency AWP. The more concentrated the CO2, the easier it is to filter.

The biggest problem, however, is storage: Switzerland lacks geological storage facilities. A new ETH study shows that in the medium term, CO2 can only be stored abroad – in Norway, for example.

This requires a functioning transportation infrastructure. The Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) estimates that trucks, trains and ships could transport the CO2 by 2030. But in the long term, a pipeline network is needed – at a cost of CHF16.3 billion ($18.6 billion).

Who will pay for CO2 removal?

It is still unclear who will pay for the construction of this infrastructure. According to the FOEN, the Swiss government wants to examine the financing and the roles of the federal government, cantons and industry. However, political disagreement is slowing down progress.

Critics fear that companies are not reducing their emissions enough and are instead focusing on CO2 removal. Others are concerned about possible leaks or do not want to bear the costs.

The price remains a key obstacle: according to Global Energy Solutions, capture at source costs between $40 and $120 per tonne of CO2, while direct air capture costs between $600 and $800. “It costs something to save the world,” says Ralph Spring, CEO of CO2 specialist ASCO Carbon Dioxide.

CO2 storage in the North Sea

The carbon capture sector should now at least receive a boost: Major companies have set themselves initial targets for CO2 reduction by 2030. Since the beginning of the year, Switzerland has also been promoting CO2 reduction technologies with CHF1.2 billion over six years.

The EU is also investing in technologies in order to achieve its climate targets. Countries such as Germany, Denmark and Norway are planning CO2 storage facilities in the North Sea.

The next few years will show whether Switzerland can keep up with these developments. However, there is not much time left. “Many companies will realise that they missed the boat,” says industry expert Spring.

Translated from German by DeepL/jdp

How we work

This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.

If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, if you want to learn more about how we use technology, click here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to [e-mail].