by navos Public Dialogue Consultants
navos Public Dialogue Consultants, a founding member of the alliance, serves many clients from the energy sector. While navigating sustainable energy narratives is our expertise, Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) presents unique challenges in the German market due to its distinctive historical context—challenges that require the specialized communication approach navos has developed.
CCS technology is essential for achieving climate-neutrality in critical industrial sectors. From its introduction, CCS has encountered widespread public skepticism and opposition, unlike in many other European markets. This resistance, fueled by concerns over safety risks and implementation costs, led to exceptionally restrictive legislation in the 2000s that effectively prohibited both CCS projects and CO₂ transport infrastructure throughout the country—a regulatory environment that persists today.
The accelerating climate crisis has now thrust CCS back into the spotlight, creating a remarkable policy reversal. In a significant shift, Robert Habeck—former Green Party Energy Minister, Vice Chancellor, and once one of the technology’s most vocal critics—led a reevaluation of CCS during the last legislature. This political evolution resulted in a proposed amendment to Germany’s restrictive CCS legislation that would permit controlled implementation of the technology in the country for the first time in over a decade.
Despite garnering cross-party support, the proposed legislation stalled when Germany’s governing coalition collapsed in late 2024, leaving the bill caught in pre-election political turbulence. Now, under Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s administration, industry experts anticipate the introduction of an even less restrictive CCS framework by Q3 2025—potentially opening the German market to the complete CCS value chain for the first time.
However, even with favorable legislation on the horizon, the critical challenge shifts to securing public acceptance. The communication landscape remains exceptionally complex: contradictory information circulates widely, public uncertainty persists, and even stakeholders within similar sectors hold divergent positions on implementation. This fragmented environment makes predicting public response to specific CCS projects extraordinarily difficult, creating both risks and opportunities for organizations with effective communication strategies
In this pivotal moment for CCS in Germany, navos leverages its specialized expertise to navigate the complex landscape of public opinion. Through comprehensive regional discourse analysis, early identification of political shifts, and deep understanding of evolving industrial strategies, navos delivers tailored communication approaches for each client’s unique circumstances.
By translating complex technical information into compelling communications that address specific regional concerns, navos helps clients overcome historical resistance and position CCS as an essential component of Germany’s industrial decarbonization strategy.
