August 27, 2026 [Storage Terminals Magazine]- Ambrian Energy GmbH and Messer SE & Co. KGaA have received antitrust approval from the European Commission for their planned CarbonBridge joint venture, clearing the way for development of what is expected to become Germany’s first operational CO₂ export terminal.

The CarbonBridge terminal in Bremen is scheduled to begin operations as early as 2031. Initially, the facility is expected to have a maximum handling capacity of approximately 2.3 million tonnes of CO₂ per year, with plans to increase capacity to around 4 million tonnes annually.

CarbonBridge will provide CO₂ logistics services including temporary storage, transport and loading. The terminal is being developed to support CO₂-intensive industries such as cement, glass, steel and waste incineration, which require reliable infrastructure to transport captured carbon dioxide to permanent storage sites.

The facility is intended to provide a scalable logistics chain connecting industrial emitters with geological storage sites, particularly in the North Sea. By enabling the export and permanent storage of captured CO₂, the project is expected to support industrial decarbonisation and Germany’s transition towards a climate-neutral economy.

Ralph Spring, senior manager commercials CCUS at Messer, said the antitrust approval marked an important step for CarbonBridge and the companies’ plans to advance carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) across Germany. He highlighted CO₂ logistics as a major challenge for many carbon capture projects and said CarbonBridge was intended to provide a flexible solution covering the journey from source to sink.

Ambrian Energy and Messer are combining their respective expertise in energy logistics and CO₂ capture and processing. The companies intend for CarbonBridge to serve as a flagship project supporting the development of CO₂ capture, transport and storage infrastructure in Germany and across Europe.

Daniel Pätzold, managing director of Ambrian Energy, said reliable export infrastructure for captured CO₂ was essential for industrial companies seeking to decarbonise. He added that European Commission approval represented an important step for the project and a positive signal for the development of competitive carbon capture and storage infrastructure in Germany.

Ambrian Energy is contributing a strategically located three-hectare site in Bremen. The property has an existing rail connection for CO₂ transport by train and a port berth capable of accommodating vessels with capacities of up to 30,000 tonnes. These facilities are expected to enable onward transportation of captured CO₂ to geological storage sites in the North Sea.

Messer is contributing decades of experience in CO₂ capture and processing through its ZeCarb Carbon Capture as a Service offering. The solution is designed to enable industrial emitters to outsource the CO₂ management process, from capture through to final storage.