What is CCS?

Carbon Capture and Storage/Sequestration (CCS) is essentially a three stage technology where CO2 is captured from large human-made CO2 emission sources, transported via a network of pipelines and stored in deep subsurface geological formations. The capture process can potentially remove 90% of the CO2 generated from fossil fuelled (coal, oil and gas) electricity generation and industrial processes (such as steel and concrete manufacture) - based on the most recent estimates of CO2 emissions from fuel combustion (31 Gt in 2011) this would represent a mass of CO2 into the thousands of millions of tons. In order to prevent this large volume of CO2 reaching the atmosphere it can be injected and safely stored in depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs, non-potable saline aquifers or unmineable coal seams .

As well as the technical aspects of capture, transport and storage, CCS involves non-technical disciplines which are vitally important to get CCS projects started and to ensure that they run smoothly. Aspects such as public perception, policy and international relations are all key to the global development of CCS.


Carbon Capture
Carbon Storage
Cross Cutting Issues