India’s NITI Aayog projects a CCUS capacity requirement of 750 million tonnes annually by 2050 to navigate the net-zero transition.

What is Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS)?

1. Definition: CCUS technologies capture carbon dioxide emissions from large industrial point sources or directly from the atmosphere.
2. Capture mechanism: Extracting CO2 uses post-combustion or direct air capture methods, successfully demonstrated in NTPC's Vindhyachal pilot plant.
3. Utilization process: Captured carbon is transformed into economically valuable commodities like synthetic fuels, urea, and building materials.
4. Permanent storage: Unused CO2 is securely injected into deep geological formations, capitalizing on India's vast mapped saline aquifers.

Diagram of Carbon Capture and Storage

Potential Role in Tackling Climate Change

1. Hard-to-abate sectors: CCUS is uniquely capable of neutralizing unavoidable chemical emissions from cement and steel manufacturing.
2. Negative emissions: Pairing CCUS with bioenergy (BECCS) actively removes historical atmospheric carbon, a necessity for meeting 1.5°C targets.
3. Just transition: Upgrading existing thermal plants with capture technology prevents stranded assets and protects coal-sector jobs during decarbonization.
4. Circular economy: Converting greenhouse gases into industrial methanol advances both national energy security and sustainable production models.
5. Constitutional mandates: Deployment fulfills the fundamental right against climate change impacts recognized in the Supreme Court's 2024 MK Ranjitsinh judgment.
6. Green finance mobilization: Backed by a historic ₹20,000 crore allocation in Budget 2026-27, scaling CCUS ecosystems will attract massive global climate investments.

Establishing a robust domestic carbon market, as recommended by the PM-STIAC, will transform CCUS from a compliance cost into a commercial opportunity, ensuring industrial growth remains ecologically responsible.