Municipal vote Zurich's greenhouse gases to be dumped in the North Sea in future

The voters of the city of Zurich have said yes to a plant that is unique in the country. They approved the proposal for CO2 capture at the Werdhölzli sewage treatment plant with 75.6 percent of votes in favor.

A total of 78,156 residents voted in favor and 25,289 against, with a turnout of 44.9 percent. The climate project will cost around CHF 35 million in one-off expenditure and recurring expenditure of CHF 14 million from 2028.

The aim is to stop releasing the CO2 from sewage sludge incineration into the air through the chimney and instead capture and liquefy it. The liquefied greenhouse gas is then either stored in recycled concrete - or transported to Denmark by truck, train and ship. There it is stored in the ground in the North Sea.

Critical voices about CO2 exports

25,000 tons of CO2 are to be removed from the air each year. During the debate in the municipal council in June, there were also critical voices, mainly due to the export of CO2 to Denmark.

If the Werdhölzli project is a success, the CO2 from the Hagenholz waste incineration plant will also be captured one day. The potential there is up to 180,000 tons of CO2 per year, which could be captured and liquefied from 2035.