Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) Policy

About:

• Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) is the technology for decarbonising carbon dioxide (CO2) from high polluting sectors such as steel, cement, oil, gas, petrochemicals, chemicals and fertilisers, has a critical role to play for the country to halve CO2 emissions by 2050
• The purpose of CCUS policy framework is to develop and implement a practicable framework to accelerate research and development on carbon capture, utilisation and storage in India.
• It is key to ensuring sustainable development and growth in India, particularly for the production of clean products and energy, leading to an Atmanirbhar Bharat.
• CCUS also has an important role to play in enabling sunrise sectors such as coal gasification and the nascent hydrogen economy in India.
• CCUS projects will also lead to a significant employment generation. It estimates that about 750 mtpa of carbon capture by 2050 can create employment opportunities of about 8-10 million on full time equivalent (FTE) basis in a phased manner.
• On the policy framework, the NITI Aayog report suggested that in the near term, CCUS policy should be carbon credits or incentives based, to seed and promote the CCUS sector in India through tax and cash credits.
• As India is the third largest emitter of CO2 in the world after China and the US about 2.6 gigatonne per annum, carbon capture utilisation and storage is an essential imperative for India to reach its Decarbonisation Goals.

Emission Reduction:

• At COP 26 late year in Glasgow, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced panchamrit to mitigate climate change including achieving net zero by 2070.
• The government of India has also committed to reducing CO2 emissions by 50 percent by 2050.