Carbon Capture Tops 100 Projects, Still Far From Gigaton Scale by 2030

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The world now has 113 commercial carbon capture and storage projects running. On Nov. 13, 2026, the head of the Global CCS Institute told a COP31 side-event audience that the industry likely won't reach gigaton scale by 2030.

The informational panel took no votes. Instead, speakers from Alberta, Brazil and Europe laid out what they say it will take to turn national climate pledges into built projects: price certainty, stacked subsidies, cross-border carbon trades and shared storage.

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• 113 operating CCS projects and 68 Mt/yr of capacity, still short of gigaton scale
• Alberta pitches 62% combined tax credits plus a carbon price rising to $130/tonne
• Brazil bets on international transfers and BECCS credits as public money stays scarce
• Europe needs about eight years from idea to injection, CO2 GeoNet says
• Audience presses the panel on carbon markets, enhanced oil recovery and public outreach

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The Gigaton Gap: Growth Is Real, but Not Fast Enough

The basics: Carbon capture and storage (CCS) traps carbon dioxide from industrial sources and stores it underground. Nationally determined contributions (NDCs) are each country's climate plan under the Paris Agreement. Direct air capture (DAC) pulls CO2 directly from the atmosphere.

Why it matters: Global capture capacity sits at roughly 0.1 gigaton a year. Closing the gap to gigaton scale depends on turning NDC mentions into funded, permitted projects.

Where things stand: Jarad Daniels, CEO of the Global CCS Institute, walked through the industry's numbers:

• 113 operating commercial CCS projects
• About 60 more under construction
• 68 million tonnes per year of capture capacity, with 56 more coming
• More than 800 projects in the pipeline
• Seven operating DAC plants

Nora Al Amer, senior global advocacy lead at the Global CCS Institute, who served as emcee, said more than 60 countries now mention carbon management in their NDCs. That is a policy signal but not yet a financing commitment.

The other side: Mohammed Jazi of CAPSAR, an audience member, pressed on the lag between announced projects and 2030 deployment. Daniels acknowledged that projects likely will not reach a gigaton by 2030. The admission reframes the 800-project pipeline: it reflects ambition, not delivered tonnes.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: No motions or votes were taken. The pressure falls on several groups:

• Governments drafting NDCs, which now need policy tools to back their mentions of carbon management
• Industrial emitters and investors, who decide which pipeline projects reach construction
• Communities near prospective capture and storage sites, which would host the build-out

What's next: Speakers framed 2030 as the near-term checkpoint. The figure to watch is how many of the roughly 60 projects under construction come online.

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Alberta's Pitch: Price Signals Plus Capital Incentives

Why it matters: Alberta presented its mix of carbon pricing and capital subsidies as a model other jurisdictions could copy to de-risk capital-intensive projects.

Where things stand: Grant Hunter, Minister of Environment and Protected Areas, Government of Alberta, delivered keynote remarks centered on regulatory certainty. He said the province has priced industrial carbon since 2007 and has no intention of moving away from that approach.

Bryan Helfenbaum, chief operations officer of the Clean Resources Innovation Network, laid out how the incentives stack:

• An industrial carbon price of $95/tonne, rising to $130/tonne by 2035
• A 50% federal tax credit plus a 12% provincial credit

"You have a total of 62% tax credit on capital upfront," said Helfenbaum.

He also pointed to:

• Public funding behind Boundary Dam, Shell Quest and the trunk line
• Carbon contracts for difference (CCFDs) at $130/tonne for 2030–2040, which guarantee investors a set carbon price over that period
• Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) revenue
• Research and development aimed at lowering capture costs

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: Industrial emitters gain predictable returns. Taxpayers carry much of the upfront cost through public funding and stacked credits. Oil producers benefit where captured CO2 feeds EOR.

What's next: The CCFD window runs from 2030 to 2040, and the carbon price is set to reach $130/tonne by 2035.

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Brazil Looks Abroad to Finance Carbon Removal

Why it matters: CCS Brazil says limited public money makes foreign investment and carbon credit demand essential to Brazil's CCS future.

Where things stand: Isabella Morbach, co-founder and executive director of CCS Brazil, said Brazil's biomass and storage capacity could make it CO2-negative. She cited at least 40 Mt/yr of biogenic capture potential.

"Brazil can be the first country in the world that can be removing CO2 net," said Morbach.

She described several business models:

• Storage-as-a-service
• Trader models
• Routes that turn carbon-negative ethanol into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)

Morbach said bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) will be prioritized in Brazil's international transfers. Those transfers would take place through bilateral arrangements with Japan, Singapore and Switzerland under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, which lets countries trade emission reductions. She also cited demand from CORSIA, the international aviation offsetting scheme, starting in 2028.

Daniels added that geologic carbon removal credits draw premiums in voluntary markets.

The other side: An audience member from Malaysia, identified as Alam, asked what role carbon markets can play in enabling CCS and whether replicable models exist. The answer centers on the Brazil approach: relying on cross-border buyers ties projects to foreign demand rather than domestic budgets.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: The likely winners are Brazilian ethanol and biomass producers, airlines seeking compliant credits, and partner governments buying transfers. The risk is that project viability hinges on external credit markets.

What's next: CORSIA demand from 2028 is the nearest concrete market signal panelists cited.

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Storage Is the Long Pole

Why it matters: Characterizing storage sites and aligning regulations are long-lead steps. Public understanding also shapes whether projects keep their social license to operate.

Where things stand: Kerry Vincent, president of CO2 GeoNet, described a "storage-readiness journey." He highlighted the CO2 Site Atlas as a data tool and pointed to differing regulations across countries as an obstacle. In Europe, he said, moving from idea to injection takes about eight years.

"Standards is where it all comes together," said Vincent, describing how shared infrastructure connects across borders.

The other side: An audience member asked how the 800-plus pipeline projects divide among EOR, dedicated storage and alternate uses. That prompted discussion of EOR versus saline aquifer storage trends. Saline aquifers are deep, salty rock formations used solely for storage.

Jinwoo Kim of Korea asked for creative ways to teach the public about CCUS and cited a Korean fart-themed educational toy. Panelists suggested fish tank models and cartoon videos.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: Geological surveys and regulators control the pace. Developers face long timelines before any revenue arrives. Residents near storage sites are the audience outreach must reach.

What's next: No formal actions were set. The eight-year lead time means storage decisions made now shape what is available in the 2030s.

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Looking Ahead

Watch whether NDC carbon-management pledges convert into financing tools like Alberta's CCFDs or Brazil's Article 6 transfers before CORSIA demand begins in 2028. For civic readers near industrial corridors, a key question is who funds storage characterization, and how early communities are brought in.