Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage(CCUS)

• 13 Oct 2025

For Prelims: Carbon Capture Usage and Storage (CCUS), Greenhouse Gas, Bioenergy, Direct Air Capture, LNG,                                              

For Mains: Efficacy and risks of Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) as a climate mitigation strategy, its associated challenges, India's position and initiatives in CCUS. 

Source: TH  

Why in News? 

A Climate Analytics report warns that Asia’s vast Carbon Capture Usage and Storage (CCUS) plans could result in nearly 25 billion tonnes of extra greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. 

• This is because most CCS projects across China, Japan, South Korea, and Indonesia are designed less to cut emissions and more to extend the life of coal, oil, and gas. 

What is Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage? 

• About: CCUS is a suite of technologies that capture CO₂ emissions from major sources like power plants, refineries, and industries, or remove CO₂ from the atmosphere.  
• Working of CCUS: CCUS involves three main stages — capture, transport, and storage (or use) of CO₂.  
  • Capture methods include: 
    • Post-combustion: Separates CO₂ from flue gas using solvents after fuel combustion. 
    • Pre-combustion: Converts fuel into a hydrogen–CO₂ mix before burning, then separates CO₂. 
    • Oxy-fuel combustion: Burns fuel in pure oxygen, producing CO₂ and steam for easy capture. 
  • Captured CO₂ is compressed and transported via pipeline, ship, rail, or road and injected into deep geological formations like depleted oil and gas fields or saline aquifers for long-term storage. Alternatively, it may be used in commercial applications. 
• Role in Tackling Climate Change: CCUS plays a key role in global decarbonisation by: 
  • Reducing emissions in hard-to-abate sectors like steel, cement (7% of global emissions), and chemicals. 
  • Producing low-carbon electricity and hydrogen to replace fossil fuels across industries and transport. 
  • Removing existing CO₂ from the atmosphere through Bioenergy with CCS (BECCS) and Direct Air Capture (DACCS). 
  • It can be installed on coal, gas, or biomass plants, enhancing energy security by diversifying low-carbon energy sources. 

Why Does Asia’s Increasing Dependence on CCUS Raise Climate Concerns? 

• Massive Excess Emissions: Depending on the CCUS scenario, Asia could emit an additional 24.9 gigatonnes of CO₂-equivalent by 2050—more than the combined fossil fuel emissions of South Korea and Australia.  
  • This overshoot isn't minor; it's a potential disaster that would single-handedly jeopardize global climate targets. 
• Economic Lock-In: A high-CCS pathway risks locking countries into expensive, outdated fossil fuel infrastructure, creating stranded assets and diverting investment from cleaner alternatives. 
• Exacerbate Regional Vulnerabilities: A high-CCS pathway fuels the climate threats that most endanger Asia—sea-level rise, monsoonal instability, and heatwaves—while perpetuating deadly air pollution from uncaptured NOx and SOx.  
• Growing Energy Demand: Governments are using CCUS as an energy security strategy to exploit domestic fossil fuels like coal and gas, paying lip service to climate goals while avoiding a full renewable transition. 

What is India’s Current Status in the CCUS? 

• Limited Deployment: India currently has minimal CCS infrastructure with no major operational projects or storage facilities, leaving it largely disconnected from regional CCS networks. 
• CCU Testbeds for Cement Sector: India has launched its first cluster of five CCU testbeds for the cement sector, under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, focusing on: 
  • Oxygen-enhanced Calcination: Converting CO₂ into concrete blocks and olefins (e.g., ethylene, propylene). 
  • Carbon-negative Mineralisation: Permanently locking CO₂ into rock formations. 
  • Vacuum Swing Adsorption: Separating CO₂ from cement kiln gases and integrating it back into construction materials. 
• National Centres in Carbon Capture: Supported by the Department of Science & Technology, India is establishing two National Centres of Excellence (CoE) in Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) at:  
  • NCoE-CCU at IIT Bombay, Mumbai, and  
  • NCCCU at JNCASR, Bengaluru. 
• Renewable Advantage: India’s progress in solar, wind, electric mobility, and green hydrogen offers a decarbonisation pathway without heavy CCUS.  
  • USD 4.3 billion in government support for CCS raises debate on directing funds toward renewables and green innovation. 

What are the Key Concerns Associated with CCUS? 

• Low Capture Efficiency: Most CCS projects capture only around 50% of CO₂, far below the 95% required for meaningful emission abatement, making them less effective as a climate solution. 
• Fossil Fuel Dependence: About 80% of existing CCS projects use captured CO₂ for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR), which extends fossil fuel extraction rather than reducing it. 
• High Economic Costs: CCS-based power generation can make electricity up to twice as expensive as renewables with storage. CCUS facilities are both capital- and energy-intensive, raising concerns about economic viability, especially in Asia. 
• Sectoral Misalignment: Most CCS projects target fossil fuel sectors like gas, LNG, and hydrogen production — areas that already have zero-emission alternatives — while hard-to-abate sectors such as steel and cement receive minimal investment. 
• Emergence of Cheaper Alternatives: Renewables, electrification, and energy efficiency are already more cost-effective than fossil fuels with CCS. A high-CCS pathway could cost up to USD 30 trillion more globally by 2050 compared to a low-CCS route. 
• Environmental Risks: Potential CO₂ leakage from underground storage could reverse emission reductions and damage ecosystems.

What Strategy Should India Adopt for CCUS in its Green Transition Pathway? 

• Prioritize Renewables: Focus on solar, wind, green hydrogen, and electric mobility as primary decarbonization pathways. Use CCUS only where emissions are hard to abate, such as steel, cement, and chemical industries. 
• Pilot and Scale Selectively: Implement small-scale, high-efficiency CCUS projects to evaluate cost-effectiveness and environmental safety. Avoid blanket deployment that encourages continued fossil fuel reliance. 
• Develop Storage Atlas: Storage is as crucial as the Capture; without safe, accessible storage, CCUS is ineffective.  
  • Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and the Geological Survey of India (GSI) should map depleted oil and gas fields (e.g., Bombay High) and deep saline aquifers to reduce investment risks. 
• Technology Transfer & Finance: Negotiate with developed countries for CCUS technology and finance, positioning it as key for Global South industrialization. Invest in R&D for Direct Air Capture (DAC) and BECCS to lead in climate restoration technologies. 

Conclusion

Asia's over-reliance on CCUS as a primary climate strategy risks massive emissions, economic lock-in, and derailing the 1.5°C goal. For India and others, prioritizing proven, cheaper alternatives like renewables and green hydrogen over costly, inefficient CCUS is the more viable path to decarbonization.

Drishti Mains Question:

What is Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage (CCUS)? Critically analyse the risks and limitations of CCUS in tackling climate change.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 

1. What is Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage (CCUS)? 
CCUS captures CO₂ from power plants, industries, or the atmosphere, transporting it for storage in geological formations or industrial use to mitigate climate change. 

2. How does Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) link to CCUS projects? 
Approximately 80% of current CCS projects use captured CO₂ for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR), which extends fossil fuel extraction, thereby undermining the technology's climate mitigation potential. 

3. Why are Asia’s CCUS plans considered risky? 
They could produce 24.9 Gt extra CO₂ by 2050, lock economies into fossil fuels, and divert investments from cleaner, cost-effective technologies. 

UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Questions (PYQs) 

Prelims 

Q1. Consider the following agricultural practices: (2012) 

1. Contour bunding 
2. Relay cropping 
3. Zero tillage 

In the context of global climate change, which of the above helps/help in carbon sequestration/storage in the soil? 

(a) 1 and 2 only 

(b) 3 only 

(c) 1, 2 and 3  

(d) None of them 

Ans: (b)

Q2. In the context of mitigating the impending global warming due to anthropogenic emissions of carbon dioxide, which of the following can be the potential sites for carbon sequestration? (2017) 

1. Abandoned and uneconomic coal seams 
2. Depleted oil and gas reservoirs 
3. Subterranean deep saline formations 

Select the correct answer using the code given below: 

(a) 1 and 2 only 

(b) 3 only  

(c) 1 and 3 only  

(d) 1, 2 and 3 

Ans: (d)