A capture project in Switzerland hangs on two threads that run independently. One is the permit for the plant, and that is largely cantonal. The other is the recognition of the reduction, and that is not. Follow only the first, and you may build a plant whose reduction does not count in the end.
Last updated: · Also in German: Der kantonale Bewilligungsweg für CO2-Abscheidung
| What | Who decides | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Permit for the plant | Canton | cantonal building law |
| Transport and storage | no federal rules yet, so cantonal; federal law in preparation | check the status when filing the application |
| Environmental impact | depends on the category and status of the host installation | EIA Ordinance (UVPV) |
| Crediting the reduction | Confederation, for permanent and traceable storage | CO2 Ordinance |
| Procedure in detail | cantonal law, different in each canton | canton by canton |
There is not yet a dedicated national framework for CO2 pipelines and underground CO2 storage. Planning, construction and operation therefore follow cantonal law to a large extent, alongside the applicable federal environmental law. Federal law on capture, transport and storage is in preparation. Until then, the canton is the authority a project deals with first, and its building law sets the procedure, the conditions and the time limits.
Time limits from one canton therefore do not carry over to another. This page deliberately gives no cantonal time limits, because each would need its own source.
Whether an assessment is required depends not on the size of the project in general, but on the category and status of the host installation.
This switch comes at the start and sets the rest of the route. It depends less on the capture project itself than on what it is attached to.
A reduction only counts once it is recognised. Since 2025, qualifying capture with permanent storage can be credited as an emission reduction, for installations in the Swiss emissions trading system or under a reduction obligation. Recognition depends on the conditions of the CO2 Ordinance, including permanent and traceable storage.
A project that seeks recognition must be planned around the monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) requirements from the start. It needs a traceable and permanent storage result, an annual check of permanence and the reporting of any leakage.
This leads to the question of sequence that decides bankability. If the monitoring plan is set up only after the building permit has been granted, the plant may have been built in a way that makes the proof expensive, or impossible, to provide later.
MitOS, by Ariadne Labs, derives the permitting route from the law itself. Change a project attribute, the location or the installation category, and the whole route is derived again, with each requirement carrying the legal reference it comes from. In a field that is still moving, like this one, that is the difference between a route that is kept current and a list someone has to remember to update. Deadlines from both threads sit on the same 90-day horizon.
Ask for a short, focused demo on the real stages of your projects: the derived route, with the legal reference beside each step.
The canton, under cantonal building law.
Not yet. Federal law is in preparation; until then, these questions largely follow cantonal law.
A new stand-alone capture plant is not currently listed as a category that requires an assessment. If capture is added to an existing installation that already requires one, the change itself can trigger an assessment.
No. Crediting depends on the conditions of the CO2 Ordinance, including permanent and traceable storage.
No. That is why this page gives none.
This page summarises provisions for information and does not replace legal, planning or permitting advice for a specific project. Only the official publication and the decisions of the competent authorities are authoritative.
Permitting energy projects is a labyrinth. MitOS is the thread.
