a b s t r a c tA greenhouse gas emission trading system is considered an important policy measure for the deployment of CCS at large scale. However, more insights are needed whether such a trading system leads to a sufficient high CO 2 price and stable investment environment for CCS deployment. To gain more insights, we combined WorldScan, an applied general equilibrium model for global policy analysis, and MARKAL-NL-UU, a techno-economic energy bottom-up model of the Dutch power generation sector and CO 2 intensive industry. WorldScan results show that in 2020, CO 2 prices may vary between 20 h/tCO 2 in a GRAND COALITION scenario, in which all countries accept greenhouse gas targets from 2020, to 47 h/tCO 2 in an IMPASSE scenario, in which EU-27 continues its one-sided emission trading system without the possibility to use the Clean Development Mechanism. MARKAL-NL-UU model results show that an emission trading system in combination with uncertainty does not advance the application of CCS in an early stage, the rates at which different CO 2 abatement technologies (including CCS) develop are less crucial for introduction of CCS than the CO 2 price development, and the combination of biomass (co-)firing and CCS seems an important option to realise deep CO 2 emission reductions.