Green transition and decarbonization: the role of CCUS projects

Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS) technologies are critical for achieving decarbonization and carbon neutrality, yet implementing effective projects remains complex and costly. Using the IEA’s CCUS projects database (1990–2023), we study the factors explaining why certain countries attract more projects, why CCUS projects are more concentrated in specific industries and how organizational choices affect their implementation and scale. We find that the recent surge in CCUS initiatives has occurred particularly in oil & gas, agrochemicals, and materials sectors, and that different policy frameworks in the EU and North America may have lead to different deployment in these regions. Focusing on corporate strategies, we observe that even the largest companies collaborate within project hub, leveraging combined expertise and competences across sectors, and that project deployment and capture capacity vary by organizational structure, location, and scope of the value chain. Finally, a preliminary assessment of the potential to reduce GHG emissions by 2030 shows that the current number and scale of projects fall short of climate targets, highlighting the need for stronger public support and more efficient capture technologies.