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Central European CO2 Interconnector

The Central European CO₂ Interconnector (CECI) is a joint infrastructure project of ONTRAS Gastransport GmbH and NET4GAS, s.r.o. aimed at developing the first cross-border CO₂ transport connection between Germany and the Czech Republic. The project’s objective is to establish a high-capacity CO₂ corridor linking industrial emitters in the Czech Republic and Central Germany to the emerging German and European CO₂ transport and storage system. In doing so, CECI will provide the foundation for the decarbonisation of energy-intensive industries with hard-to-abate emissions and make a significant contribution to the development of an integrated European carbon management network.

The project includes the development of dedicated CO₂ pipeline infrastructure connecting industrial hubs in Central and Northern Bohemia with the Leipzig–Leuna industrial region via the Czech-German border. The planned infrastructure consists of approximately 120 km of pipeline in the Czech Republic and 153 km in Germany, as well as the required compression, metering, regulation, and operational facilities. The system is being designed as a non-discriminatory open-access infrastructure available to multiple industrial users. According to the current project planning, the infrastructure is expected to enter commercial operation in 2036.

CECI will provide industries with unavoidable emissions access to permanent geological CO₂ storage sites. Potential users include companies from the cement, lime, steel, glass, refinery, and waste-to-energy sectors. The emitters assessed during the project development phase are primarily located in the regions of Prague, Central Bohemia, and Ústí nad Labem. Consequently, the project will create, for the first time, the opportunity to transport significant volumes of CO₂ from the Czech Republic and, in the future, from Central Germany through a shared infrastructure to European storage facilities.

A key strategic aspect of the project is its integration into the emerging European CO₂ infrastructure network. On the German side, the project is planned to connect to the German Carbon Transport Grid and complement other existing projects and corridors, thereby providing access to future offshore storage sites, particularly in the North Sea. At the same time, CECI establishes the conditions for future extensions towards Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, and other Central and Eastern European countries, enabling it to become a central component of a wider regional CO₂ backbone network.

For these reasons, ONTRAS and NET4GAS are seeking the designation of CECI as a Project of Common Interest under the TEN-E Regulation.

Date of the last update to this page: September 20, 2026