Key Details
The discussion at ESTIC 2026, being held from 27–29 October, comes as India works to move carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) from research towards use in emissions-intensive industries.
Why it matters: Steel, cement, chemicals, refineries and power generation have emissions that cannot all be eliminated by switching to renewable electricity.
What CCUS does: It captures carbon dioxide before release, then puts it to use in products or seeks to store it in suitable underground formations.
Five-year support: The Union Budget 2026–27 proposed ₹20,000 crore over five years to advance CCUS technologies in power, steel, cement, refineries and chemicals.
Research and testing: India has CCUS research centres at IIT Bombay and JNCASR, cement-sector testbeds and an integrated field laboratory at IIT Bombay. Geological drilling at the laboratory is assessing storage potential.
Project status: Of 25 carbon capture and utilisation projects identified as of April 2026, three were operational, six were under construction or execution, and 16 were proposed.
Why Heavy Industry Is Looking Beyond Renewable Power
Renewable electricity is central to cutting emissions, but it cannot by itself remove all the carbon dioxide released by industrial processes. CCUS offers a complementary option: capture emissions at a plant, then use or store the carbon dioxide. That makes it relevant to India’s aim of reaching net-zero emissions by 2070 while continuing to produce essential materials such as steel and cement.
The technology is one of several emerging energy areas featured in the second Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave (ESTIC 2026), organised by CSIR. The government’s account of CCUS alongside the conclave draws together existing policy support, research facilities and industrial projects; it does not announce a new CCUS scheme at the event.
Research Is Moving Towards Industrial Tests
India’s work now spans laboratory research and sector-specific demonstrations. IIT Bombay’s field facility can capture up to three tonnes of CO₂ a day for pilot-scale work on carbon use, while drilling in the Deccan Traps is intended to assess the prospects for geological storage. Separate testbeds are examining applications in cement production and coal-gasification facilities.
The ₹20,000 crore five-year proposal signals an ambition to take such technologies further. Yet the April project tally shows the distance still to travel: most identified carbon-utilisation projects were either being developed or remained proposals. A project count is not, on its own, a measure of emissions avoided.
Shared Infrastructure Could Shape the Next Stage
India’s CCUS approach also envisages regional hubs where several industrial plants could share carbon dioxide transport and use or storage infrastructure. Such an approach could be particularly relevant in industrial clusters, where building separate systems for every facility may be costly. These hubs remain a planning proposition, distinct from the projects already operating.
What Is Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS)?
Carbon capture, utilisation and storage means separating carbon dioxide from an emissions source — or, in some applications, from the air. Captured CO₂ may be used in materials, fuels or chemicals, or injected into suitable geological formations for long-term storage. Its climate benefit depends on how much CO₂ is captured, the emissions involved in the process, and what happens to the carbon after use or storage.
Policy Relevance
ESTIC’s attention to CCUS places an emerging technology within a practical industrial question: which applications can cut emissions reliably and affordably at scale? The next test is not the number of pilots announced, but their measured performance in operating plants.
For public support to deliver a climate benefit, projects will need credible evidence on capture rates, full-process emissions and storage permanence. Decisions on shared infrastructure will also depend on whether suitable storage sites and sufficient industrial demand for captured CO₂ can be established.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: Which CCUS applications should receive priority for industrial demonstration, and what evidence would show that they reduce emissions at a viable cost?
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