{"id":60633,"date":"2025-12-04T20:40:15","date_gmt":"2025-12-04T15:10:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=60633"},"modified":"2025-12-06T16:39:58","modified_gmt":"2025-12-06T11:09:58","slug":"rd-roadmap-ccus-india-net-zero","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/04-12-2025\/rd-roadmap-ccus-india-net-zero","title":{"rendered":"R&amp;D Roadmap for CCUS to Achieve India\u2019s Net-Zero Targets Launched"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/Environment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The first of its kind R&amp;D Roadmap to Enable <strong>India\u2019s Net Zero Targets through Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS)<\/strong> was launched.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is prepared by the <strong>Department of Science and Technology (DST).&nbsp;<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The roadmap highlights the need for <strong>supportive frameworks<\/strong>\u2014including skilled human capital, regulatory and safety standards, and early-shared infrastructure.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It also <strong>provides strategic guidance on thematic priorities and funding pathways<\/strong> needed to accelerate CCUS development.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>India\u2019s Emissions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India is the <strong>3rd largest emitter of CO2<\/strong> in the world after China and the US, with estimated annual emissions of about 2.6 gigatonne per annum (gtpa).&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Government of India has committed to <strong>reducing CO2 emissions by 50%<\/strong> by 2050 and reaching <strong>net zero by 2070.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Even though <strong>renewable energy growth is strong<\/strong>, power sector emissions are only one third of total emissions; <strong>the rest are from &#8220;hard-to-abate&#8221; industrial and process sectors.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India<strong> still depends heavily on fossil energy <\/strong>(coal, oil, gas) to meet industrial and baseload energy needs \u2014 phasing them out will take time.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-dominant-color=\"d3e9f1\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #d3e9f1;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"565\" height=\"293\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-19.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-60634\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-19.png 565w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-19-300x156.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 565px) 100vw, 565px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Hence, to meet long-term climate goals (e.g. net-zero by 2070), <strong>merely scaling renewables isn\u2019t enough: <\/strong>carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) becomes crucial.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is CCUS &amp; How can it Help?&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS): <\/strong>Capturing CO\u2082 from industrial plants\/power plants or emission sources; then either using the CO\u2082 (utilization) or storing it permanently (storage, e.g. geological storage).&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Utilization Pathways Envisaged:<\/strong> Converting CO\u2082 into value-added products \u2014 such as green urea (fertilizer), building materials (concrete, aggregates), chemicals (methanol, ethanol), polymers\/bioplastics, aggregates for construction, etc.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Also, CO\u2082 could be used for enhanced oil recovery (EOR).&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>For Storage:<\/strong> India potentially has very large CO\u2082 storage capacity \u2014 report estimates up to 600 gigatonnes (Gt) of storage capacity across geological formations, giving sufficient headroom for large-scale CCUS deployment.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The report advocates a \u201ccluster model\u201d:<\/strong> Creating CCUS hubs\/clusters&nbsp; where multiple industrial plants capture CO\u2082, and share common transport and storage infrastructure. This can improve economies of scale and cost-effectiveness.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e1f0f6\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"786\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-20.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-60635\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e1f0f6; width:569px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-20.png 786w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-20-300x120.png 300w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-20-768x308.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 786px) 100vw, 786px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Sectors and Emissions Sources Priority for CCUS in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Steel and iron manufacturing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cement production.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Petrochemicals, oil &amp; gas, fertilisers and chemical industries.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fossil-fuel power generation (especially coal-based thermal plants) \u2014 to manage baseload power demand while reducing emissions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>These sectors are emission-intensive and not easily replaced by renewables or electrification alone.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Projection For India\u2019s Future with CCUS<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The report estimates that India could potentially capture<strong> up to ~750 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) CO\u2082 by 2050 via CCUS.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It argues that <strong>widespread CCUS adoption could also contribute to <\/strong>economic growth, self-reliance (less import dependence), industrial competitiveness, and a circular carbon economy by turning waste CO\u2082 into useful products.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Potential for Job Creation:<\/strong> Large-scale CCUS deployment could generate significant employment (full-time equivalent jobs) over time.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>CCUS is positioned as a <strong>key enabler for India to meet its climate commitments <\/strong>(like installing non-fossil capacity, reducing emission intensity, and eventual net-zero by 2070) without sacrificing industrial growth or baseload power needs.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key policy Recommendations&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Suggests public-private partnerships,<\/strong> financing mechanisms (possibly via clean-energy cess, bonds, government support), and frameworks to manage large infrastructure (transport pipelines for CO\u2082, storage sites, monitoring).&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Promotes the idea of CCUS clusters\/hubs region-wise<\/strong> \u2014 leveraging shared infrastructure (capture, transport, storage) to reduce costs and improve feasibility.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Encourages value-added utilisation of captured CO\u2082 <\/strong>(not just storage) to create economic value e.g. building materials, chemicals, fertilizers, etc. This helps integrate CCUS into a circular carbon economy.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The CCUS Report smartly acknowledges India\u2019s dual challenge: need for rapid industrial &amp; economic growth, and imperative to decarbonize.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>CCUS offers a pragmatic, transitional tool&nbsp; helping decarbonize \u201chard\u201d sectors and coal-based power over the medium-to-long term, while renewable deployment and clean alternatives scale up.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If India pushes CCUS along with supportive policy, financing, and value-added CO\u2082 utilization, it could emerge as a major strategy for a circular carbon economy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pib.gov.in\/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2198607&amp;reg=3&amp;lang=2#:~:text=R%26D%20Roadmap%20to%20enable%20India&#039;s,Utilization%20and%20Storage%20(CCUS)%20launched&amp;text=The%20first%20of%20its%20kind,launched%20on%20December%202%2C%202025.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>PIB<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Context<\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The first of its kind R&#038;D Roadmap to Enable India\u2019s Net Zero Targets through Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) was launched.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong>About<\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">It is prepared by the Department of Science and Technology (DST).<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The roadmap highlights the need for supportive frameworks\u2014including skilled human capital, regulatory and safety standards, and early-shared infrastructure.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">It also provides strategic guidance on thematic priorities and funding pathways needed to accelerate CCUS development.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/04-12-2025\/rd-roadmap-ccus-india-net-zero\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read\u00a0More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-60633","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60633","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60633"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60633\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60846,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60633\/revisions\/60846"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60633"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60633"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60633"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}