Why is it in the news?
The Prime Minister shared an article on the role of CCUS in powering India’s steel revolution.
Union Budget 2026–27 earmarked ₹20,000 crore for a new CCUS scheme.
Category: Environment
Important Points:
● CCUS captures CO₂ from large point sources or directly from atmosphere
● Three steps: Capture, Transport, Utilization/Storage
● Utilization includes urea, synthetic fuels, methanol, curing concrete
● Storage involves deep geological formations like depleted oil/gas fields and saline aquifers
● India is 2nd-largest crude steel producer (~152 MT in FY 2024–25)
● National Steel Policy 2017 targets 300 MT capacity by FY 2030–31 and 500 MT by 2047
● Steel sector contributes 10–12% of India’s GHG emissions
● CCUS supports continued coal use (55–60% of primary energy) with lower emissions
● EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) may impact exports
● Green Steel benchmark: <2.2 tCO₂e per tonne of crude steel (3–5 star rating)
● ₹20,000 crore allocation over five years for Power, Steel, Cement, Refineries, Chemicals
● Two NCoE-CCU established at IIT Bombay and JNCASR
● Estimated storage capacity 500–1000 GT; challenges include high cost and lack of pipeline network