Progress in Large-Scale Carbon Capture Deployment: Status, Challenges, and Prospects

The climate math is clear: carbon capture and storage (CCUS) is an essential climate mitigation technology, without which achieving net-zero emission targets will be virtually impossible. This requires periodic assessment and continuous improvement of the technology from various perspectives. This short review highlights the current state of CCUS deployment, recent achievements, and associated challenges. CCUS project pipeline is at an all-time high in terms of both the number of facilities and carbon dioxide capture capacity. Currently, 47 operational CCUS projects have an annual CO₂ capture capacity of 50.5 Mt CO₂/year. The total project pipeline capacity is expected to reach 600 Mt CO₂/year. The natural gas sector is the major contributor, accounting for more than 65% of the total carbon capture capacity. While significant progress is made in recent years, particularly in North America and Europe, CCUS deployment faces several significant challenges that are multifaceted, encompassing technical, economic, regulatory, and social dimensions. Policymakers, industry leaders, investors, and the general public are increasingly feeling the urgency to address climate change, accelerating many mitigation efforts, including CCUS deployment, in leading regions globally. However, to meet climate change mitigation targets, global investment in CCUS deployment must grow even faster this decade.