Managing a Complex Carbon Value Chain

Abstract

Scaling Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) worldwide is critical for achieving net-zero targets and ensuring clean energy transition. Current development efforts focus on hard-to-abate CO2 emissions from cement, chemical and steel industries. As a bridging technology CCS may also be applied to emissions from combustion processes in regions or periods where renewable energy sources are not yet available. Recent industry outlooks (DNV 2025) indicate that despite economic growth driving global CO2 from approximately 38 GtCO2/yr today to 59 GtCO2/yr in 2050, the contribution of CCS is expected to rise from currently 0,1% to just about 6%. While the share remains limited in relative terms, this represents a massive increase of captured and stored CO2 from ca. 50 MtCO2/yr today towards 1,3 GtCO2/yr. Achieving this scale-up implies a substantial expansion capture facilities, transport infrastructure, and geological storage capacity. CCS deployment takes place within evolving and regionally diverse policy and regulatory frameworks (ERIA 2023; Martinez Castilla et al. 2025; Vishal et al. 2024). Local legal requirements, permitting regimes, and liability arrangements directly influence the technical design, investment decisions, and feasibility of CCS value chains. While policy instruments such as carbon pricing, tax credits, or contracts for difference can provide momentum for infrastructure investment, the business cases of individual CCS projects often remain challenged by uncertain CO2 prices and long-term revenue clarity. In many cases, CCS developments are further interconnected with adjacent value chains such as enhanced oil recovery or blue hydrogen production.