InfraWatt wants mandatory climate-neutral infrastructure
InfraWatt calls for a duty for climate-neutral infrastructure installations and wants a legal requirement to achieve the net-zero target. In a position paper, the association outlines the key points for exploiting the potential.
InfraWatt demands that climate neutrality of infrastructure facilities and their fair financing be made mandatory as well as the achievement of the net zero target. This, it says, will make fee financing possible. “Infrastructure facilities want to make an active contribution within the framework of the net-zero strategy by avoiding climate-relevant emissions and also offering further reduction services,” writes the association for energy use from wastewater, waste, waste heat and drinking water in a position paper.
However, many measures are not implemented “because they are not yet part of the core task”. Therefore, the position paper should “outline the principles so that these potentials can be used”. In order to further promote greenhouse gas neutrality, the InfraWatt board has founded the decarbonisation working group.
The association formulates three goals for infrastructure plants: First, they must avoid direct emissions of climate-impacting gases and substances, and second, they must exploit their potential to substitute fossil fuels. Thirdly, “point sources from infrastructure facilities” would have to be used for CO2 removal and offered as a service for negative emissions.
According to the concept, the additional costs for a climate-neutral operation of the facilities should be covered by fees and the expenses for substitution services and negative emissions should be provided as a service. It must be clearly regulated what is to be financed by fees and what the end customers are to pay. Other options, such as the polluter-pays principle, should apply to negative emissions.