Rhine-Alpine News
29.02.2024
France cuts hundreds of millions from transport and infrastructure plan
The French government has disclosed the cancellation of tens of billions of euros worth of investments originally slated for nationwide implementation by 2024. Specifically, the infrastructure and transport sectors are slated to experience a total budget reduction exceeding 341 million euros. Reported by French media outlet Maire Info, this sum constitutes a 7% decrease from the previously allocated budget for the infrastructure and transport sectors. La Transalpine Turin-Lyon, the overseeing body for the Turin-Lyon project, attributes these cuts to France’s revised growth forecast, which has diminished from 1.4% to 1%.
The announced cuts will primarily impact the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion, which holds jurisdiction over the infrastructure and transport sectors. Its budget has been downsized from ten to eight billion euros, marking it as the most heavily affected ministry. The concerned ministries will now have a brief window to implement the decision, allowing for a clearer understanding of the cut’s operational implications.
Source:
Remote-Controlled Inland Waterway Vessels: Shaping the Future of Shipping on the Rhine
Symbolic picture generated with DALL-E
In Duisburg, Seafar, a Belgian technology company, has launched a remote control center for inland waterway vessels. This innovation allows captains to remotely guide ships along the Rhine, spanning from Rotterdam to Bonn. The main objectives are to address the industry’s severe labor shortage and improve work-life balance for captains.
Operated from an office in Duisburg, captains use radar, radio, and joystick controls to oversee vessels, even when they’re over 150 kilometers away. While crews will initially remain onboard for safety reasons, Seafar’s success in Belgium demonstrates the scalability and effectiveness of remote control technology.
This initiative aims to attract younger individuals to the profession and accommodate modern work preferences. However, skepticism remains among some industry insiders about widespread acceptance. Despite advancements in autonomous navigation, challenges persist, particularly in navigating the Rhine’s currents. As the industry embraces technological advancements, it must balance innovation with the preservation of its heritage.
Source(in German):
Germany: Proposal for CCS/CCU Integration and Carbon Dioxide Storage Act Amendment
Symbolic picture generated with DALL-E
BMWK (BundesMinisterium für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz) outlines a carbon management strategy and a suggested Carbon Dioxide Storage Act amendment.
On Feb. 26th Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection Robert Habeck presented a carbon management plan and a draft bill to alter the Carbon Dioxide Storage Act. The use of CCS/CCU, transport and offshore storage in Germany is to be enabled, excluding protected marine areas. CCS is strategically focused on unavoidable emissions. CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage) and CCU (Carbon Capture and Usage) refer to the capture and use of CO₂, respectively.
There was considerable preparation, including an in-depth debate with environmental associations, industry, and scientists last year to generate a view and first internal government consultations. BMWK provided the key issues and draft bill for departmental coordination. After departmental consultation, the bill will be consulted with federal states and associations and forwarded to the cabinet.
Some aspects of the Carbon Management Strategy and the draft KSpG amendment bill:
- Current barriers to CCS/CCU in Germany will be removed as avoiding emissions in specific locations is difficult or unavoidable. This applies especially to operations that cannot be avoided or directly converted to renewable energy or hydrogen electricity.
- To reduce climate-damaging emissions in electricity generation, the German government is accelerating renewable energy expansion and the capacity mechanism described in the power plant strategy, and building new gas-fired power plants that will be converted to hydrogen.
- A technology-neutral transition to a climate-neutral electrical system will allow the use of CCS/CCU for electricity generation plants employing gaseous energy sources or biomass, but fossil energy sources will not be subsidised. While the coal phase-out continues, CO₂ pipes are not available for emissions from coal-fired power generation.
- The Federal Government approves the London Protocol amendment of exporting CO₂ for offshore storage and amends the High Seas Contribution Act. Current law allows offshore storage facility exploration in the German EEZ or continental shelf. Considering safety, ecological, and sea overexploitation, industrial storage facilities can be built if the site is adequate. Carbon dioxide injection into marine protected areas is prohibited. Permanent CO₂ storage in the German mainland’s geological subsurface is still prohibited.
Source(in German):