Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is no longer just a future concept but is becoming a practical solution helping companies to plan cleaner energy projects and meet climate and sustainability goals, a new report outlines.
According to GlobalData’s newly published Carbon Capture and Storage report, over 54 commercial-scale carbon capture projects were active in the energy sector globally as of 2024, with that figure expected to rise to upwards of 350 by 2030. It adds that over 80% of carbon capture units around the world, both active and upcoming, are attached to energy assets as the industry seeks to address its emissions.
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“Over the past few years, CCS has gained significant momentum across the oil, gas and power sectors, driven by a convergence of technological advancement, policy support and investor demand for decarbonisation,” the report says. “Companies are increasingly retrofitting facilities with advanced CCS technologies to reduce emissions, while governments in regions such as the US, UK and Norway are backing these efforts through targeted incentives and funding programmes.”
Barriers facing carbon capture and storage
Despite this progress, GlobalData notes that the broader carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) industry still faces economic, regulatory and infrastructure barriers. Chief among these, it asserts, are the high capital and operational costs associated with the technology, relatively limited commercial use for carbon dioxide (CO₂) and a lack of strong market incentives.
“Infrastructure gaps, particularly in CO₂ transport networks and storage facilities, compound the issue, as does the complexity of retrofitting capture systems onto existing industrial emitters,” the report states. “Regulatory uncertainty, particularly around cross-border CO₂ transport, permitting delays and undefined long-term liability for stored CO₂, further discourage investment, while the fragmented nature of the CCUS value chain makes end-to-end integration difficult.”
Other hurdles for CCUS include social acceptance and the technical complexities of the technology. Not only can it be viewed as a tool to prolong fossil fuel use rather than a genuine climate solution, but there is also a lack of public understanding about CCUS.
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By GlobalDataIn addition, the report notes that “challenges around capture efficiency, monitoring of CO₂ storage and also carbon pipelines and the lack of standardised approaches complicate deployment at scale.”
