Climate science is clear on the need for urgent and deep emissions reductions to put the world on track for meeting the goal of the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial temperatures, however, views differ on the balance of different technologies needed to deliver emissions reductions.

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies have emerged as a central part of this debate. In this briefing, we provide some clarity by setting out our view on the role of point-source carbon capture and storage technologies in reaching Net Zero emissions.

We conclude that CCS has an important, but restricted and targeted role in reaching Net Zero.

CCS will be vital for reducing emissions from industrial processes, alongside other decarbonisation levers such as energy efficiency and electrification. A portfolio of options will be needed to support the provision of dispatchable power in a system with a high penetration of renewables, and CCS-enabled power plants may be required as one of those options. However, CCS should not be solely relied upon as a route to urgent and widespread reduction of emissions from electricity generation, and should not be presented or pursued as a primary decarbonisation solution for the oil and gas sector.

The role of CCS should be focussed on a limited number of applications where there is a real opportunity to accelerate the Net Zero transition. These include:

1. The decarbonisation of some hard-to-abate industrial processes, including cement and chemicals production.
2. Production of blue hydrogen in markets where a transition is required to scale-up green hydrogen.
3. Transitional decarbonisation of a very limited number of existing fossil fuel assets to facilitate dispatchable power generation and support a fair and equitable energy transition.