Climate Leadership Coalition welcomes the Finnish government’s draft regulation on subsidies for industrial biogenic CO₂ capture as a timely and necessary first step. Large-scale carbon capture is essential for climate mitigation and achieving net-negative emissions. While we acknowledge that Finland’s €140 million allocation is modest – especially compared to Sweden’s €3 billion support package – it marks first active step in building the carbon capture and storage market. From the start it is essential that we strengthen the already existing market in a fair and technology-neutral way.
Given the scale of funding, it is evident that most projects will require additional sources of funding in order to be realized. That is why we emphasize the need for the swift implementation of auction rules and funding decisions to ensure that projects can prepare applications in time for the EU Innovation Fund deadlines in spring 2026.
Importantly, we propose launching a broader legislative package to support carbon removal and utilization industries, with a scale and impact comparable to programs already underway in other Nordic countries. Under current EU legislation, this would require approval from the European Commission, a process that, for example, took Sweden around two years. For this reason, it is important to begin preparations as early as possible.
Carbon removal and utilization solutions are not only critical for climate policy but also carry significant industrial and economic potential. To enhance domestic demand and competitiveness, we advocate for policy adjustments that support the development of a strong national technology ecosystem and reconsider the stance on climate claims related to carbon removal.
Our statement includes detailed feedback on subsidy eligibility criteria (§7 and §8), and builds on CLC’s recent policy research on CCS, CCU, and carbon removal integration into EU frameworks.
More Information: Juha Turkki, Development Director, juha.turkki@clc.fi
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