To achieve Austria's climate targets, a solid data foundation and reliable facts are needed so that political and economic decision-makers can initiate targeted measures for the necessary implementation. The CaCTUS project closes existing knowledge gaps regarding the realistic potential of CO2 capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) in Austria and examines its technical and economic implications for the set climate targets.
As part of the project, existing and future carbon sources as well as possible sinks for 2040 and 2050 were identified and quantified in collaboration with stakeholders from industry and ministries. The source-to-sink routes developed on this basis could be assessed from techno-economic and legal perspectives in order to identify cost-efficient and competitive solutions for Austria's hard-to-abate emissions. This ultimately resulted in recommendations for action regarding the implementation of CCUS technologies as well as legal frameworks and possible impacts, which were summarised in policy briefs for decision-makers.
The publication was released via Springer Nature as part of the Berg- und Hüttenmännische Monatshefte (special issue on CO2 and H2) and is available at the following link: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00501-025-01571-y. The print version will be out in April.
The two policy briefs CCUS in Austria – Classification of the Legal Framework and the Perspective of Emissions-Intensive Industry (Veseli, Böhm, Fazeni-Fraisl, Energieinstitut an der JKU Linz; Fleischhacker, Sachs, Kapfer, Ernst & Young denkstatt GmbH 2025) and CCUS in Austria – Potentials, Technologies and Impact Assessment (Böhm, Fazeni-Fraisl, Energieinstitut an der JKU Linz; Hochmeister, Zöllner, Kulich, Lehner, Ott, MUL 2025) can be found on the CaCTUS and CCCA websites!
