As the race to net zero accelerates, carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) is emerging as one of the defining technologies of the energy transition. Beyond simply cutting emissions, CCUS offers a way to preserve and reuse the carbon molecule by turning a waste product into a valuable resource and forming an essential pillar of a circular, lower-carbon economy.
Achieving net zero emissions by 2050 will require ambitious mitigation actions, and large scale deployment of CCUS technologies is among the most critical. The focus is shifting from concept to implementation, with energy and industrial players deploying carbon capture systems to lower the carbon intensity of existing downstream assets while building new business models around third-party emitters.
Worldwide, CCUS projects are gaining momentum from large scale hubs in Europe and North America to emerging initiatives in Asia and the Middle East. Each represents a step towards integrating carbon management into mainstream industrial operations. Yet the challenge remains immense: industries such as refining, chemicals, and power generation still account for a significant share of global CO2 emissions.
Meeting this challenge will depend on a combination of technological innovation, strong policy frameworks, and cross-sector collaboration. For many, CCUS is no longer a distant option but a practical pathway to decarbonisation and a key enabler of the sustainable industrial ecosystem needed for the decades ahead.
Carbon solutions: what is CCUS and why it matters
CCUS is rapidly becoming one of the most critical technologies in the global effort to achieve net zero. At its core, the concept is simple: capture CO2 before it reaches the atmosphere, and either reusing it to create valuable products or storing it safely and permanently underground in depleted oilfields. The execution, however, demands sophisticated infrastructure, strong policy frameworks, and cross-sector collaboration to bring it to scale.
In practical terms, CCUS encompasses three key stages. First, CO2 is captured directly from industrial operations such as refineries, petrochemical complexes, and power plants or even removed from the air through direct air capture systems. Next, the captured carbon can be utilised as a feedstock to produce fuels, chemicals, polymers, and building materials, embedding it back into industrial value chains rather than allowing it to contribute to global warming. Alternatively, the CO2 can be stored deep underground, injected thousands of feet beneath the surface into carefully selected geological formations such as depleted oil and gas reservoirs or saline aquifers, where it remains securely trapped for the long-term.
Far from a theoretical solution, CCUS has a proven safety record...
Written by Miro Cavkov, Euro Petroleum Consultants (EPC).
This article was originally published in the December 2025 issue of Hydrocarbon Engineering magazine. To read the full article, sign in or register for a free trial subscription here.