Germany's CO2 price could be extended to waste and small lignite plants – media

Germany’s climate ministry is planning to expand the scope of the country’s national CO2 price – currently applicable to transport and heating fuels – to emissions from waste incinerators and small lignite fired power plants, news agency dpa reports based on government sources. The carbon price would apply to operators of incinerators and lignite plants with a capacity of under 20 megawatts (larger lignite plants are part of the European Emission Trading System ETS). While the waste management industry had warned against the risk of increased costs for disposal and rising fees for consumers, the government said it would not lead to higher waste fees or electricity costs, the article says. If the ongoing internal government consultation ends favourably, the pricing scheme would be extended to these emitters as of January 2023.

Germany introduced a national price on CO2 emissions from the transport and buildings sectors, which are not covered by the EU ETS, in 2021. It is currently fixed at 30 euros per tonne of CO2 and will increase to 35 euros in 2023.