CCUS technologies seen essential tools in fight against climate change

Professor Mercedes Maroto-Valer.

Carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) technologies are essential tools in the fight against climate change, particularly for industries that are challenging to decarbonise, Professor Mercedes Maroto-Valer, Director, UK Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre (IDRIC), told the Al-Attiyah Foundation in its latest podcast.

As the world confronts the harsh realities of rising greenhouse gas emissions, CCUS has emerged as a vital solution to reduce carbon output from industrial sectors such as cement and steel, which are difficult to address through renewable energy alone.

Maroto-Valer emphasises that CCUS plays a critical role in achieving global net-zero targets, complementing other mitigation strategies like renewable energy and reforestation.

Despite advancements in renewable energy, she notes that certain industrial processes will always generate emissions that can only be addressed by technologies like CCUS. She highlighted the importance of integrating CCUS into the broader climate strategy, even though the costs may seem high at first glance.

“Even if we deploy all the renewable energy technologies available, there are still emissions from industrial processes that only CCUS can address. This is why CCUS is a tool we must deploy, despite the costs,” she added.

However, beyond the technical and economic aspects, Maroto-Valer stressed that building trust with communities is vital for the successful deployment of CCUS projects. Public support and community engagement are crucial in ensuring that CCUS technologies can be scaled effectively.

“To truly scale CCUS, we must move beyond gaining acceptance to establishing trust. Projects need to be credible, legitimate, and something that society feels a part of. A social license to operate is essential for the energy transition,” she said.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), CCUS technologies are expected to contribute 19% of the carbon emissions reductions needed by 2050 to limit global warming to 1.5°C. As of 2022, there were 35 commercial CCUS facilities operating worldwide, capturing nearly 45mn tonnes of CO2 annually, with an additional 200 projects in development.

CCUS costs vary between $50 and $200 per tonne of CO2, but innovations like CCUS clusters—where industries share infrastructure—are expected to reduce costs and drive wider adoption of the technology.

This episode of the Al-Attiyah Foundation’s podcast is a must-listen for anyone interested in the future of energy and climate solutions. Professor Maroto-Valer’s insights offer a comprehensive understanding of how CCUS can be integrated into broader climate strategies and play a pivotal role in meeting global emissions targets.