NEWS: Union Budget 2026–27 proposed ₹20,000 crore over five years to develop CCUS technologies and decarbonise hard-to-abate industries, supporting India’s Net Zero target by 2070.

ABOUT CCUS

• Meaning: Captures CO₂ from industrial processes or energy-related emissions for utilisation or long-term geological storage.
• Objective: Reduce emissions + support industrial decarbonisation.
• Process: Capture → Transportation → Utilisation / Geological Storage.

STORAGE OPTIONS

• Depleted oil + gas reservoirs.
• Deep saline aquifers.
• Basaltic rock formations.

KEY APPLICATIONS

• Hard-to-abate sectors: Steel, cement, refineries, chemicals + power.
• Blue Hydrogen: Captures CO₂ produced during fossil-fuel-based hydrogen production.
• Carbon Utilisation: Building materials, methanol, synthetic fuels + chemicals.
• Enhanced Oil Recovery: Uses CO₂ to increase oil extraction, potentially storing some underground.
• Carbon Mineralisation: Converts CO₂ into stable mineral carbonates.

INDIA’S INITIATIVES

• Union Budget 2026–27: ₹20,000 crore over five years for Power, Steel, Cement, Refineries + Chemicals.
• DST CCUS R&D Roadmap (2025): Promotes indigenous research + industrial deployment.
• NITI Aayog Framework (2022): Policy roadmap for hard-to-abate sectors + shared infrastructure.
• Research Centres: IIT Bombay + JNCASR, Bengaluru.
• Cement CCU Testbeds: Five testbeds launched by DST in 2025.

CHALLENGES

• High capital + operational costs.
• Energy-intensive capture processes.
• CO₂ transportation + storage infrastructure gaps.
• Risks of leakage + uncertain long-term storage performance.
• Possibility of delaying renewable energy adoption if used as a substitute rather than a complement.

SIGNIFICANCE

• Supports decarbonisation of hard-to-abate industries.
• Advances India’s climate commitments + Net Zero by 2070.
• Promotes resource efficiency + a circular carbon economy.