The text in question will now be remitted to Congress for its timely transposition into national law. Both the central and the regional governments will be responsible for its implementation. According to the Ministry of Environment, Rural and Marine Affairs (MARM), applying CO₂ capture and storage (CCS) in Spain could avoid 15 percent of the CO₂ reductions needed at EU level.

The text does not encompass the transport of CO₂. According to the government, this issue may be addressed through legislation of natural gas transport instead.

The general application of the forthcoming national Law on geological storage of CO₂ will be shared amongst the Ministries of Environment, Rural and Marine Affairs and that of Industry, Tourism and Commerce, as well as regional authorities.

The transposition regulates the allocation and monitoring of storage permits and sites, the procedure of sealing a storage site and subsequent transfer of responsibility. It also stipulates the sanctions that will be imposed in case of misuse of the storage permit or accident.

Directive 2009/31/EC must be transposed into national law of all member states by 2011. Spain is amongst the first countries to do so, in a similar manner that it is moving forward with a CCS demonstration plant in Cubillos de Sil, Leon, northern Spain.

Read all about the government’s announcement here (in Spanish only).