Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS): Indian Subcontinent

1. CCS {which removes CO2, when it is emitted [before it enters the atmosphere; unlike direct air capture, which removes CO2 from atmosphere] at sources such as electric power and industrial plants and sequesters the captured CO2 underground} would remain to be an efficient process in an Indian scenario?

2. What is the expected fraction (in percent; or, in terms of million metric tons of CO2 per annum) of the CCS capacity of India’s total annual CO2 emissions by 2030?

3. Whether the CCS facilities are expected to provide the captured CO2 to oil companies (which may use it for EOR)?

4. How many active CCS facilities are under construction or in development in Indian scenario (given the fact that the cost to implement CCS technology would exceed its value in most potential settings)?

Are we ready to afford approximately Rs 5000 per metric ton of CO2 captured, with additional costs for transporting and storing CO2?

Whether the companies that capture and store CO2 remain eligible for a tax credit per metric ton of CO2 sequestrated in Indian scenario?

5. Whether all the CCS facilities remain associated with the following projections?

(a)        The sectors that have the lowest costs for capturing CO2.

(b)       The availability of good pipeline networks and storage capacity for transporting and storing CO2.

(Do we really have the investment necessary to build a CO2 transport network?)

(c)        The central and state government’s regulatory decisions.

(d)       The development of clean energy technologies that could affect the demand for CCS.

6. Do we have an abundant capacity to store captured CO2?

Even with the exclusion of (a) no-go zones including biodiversity zones, economic zones, armed forces areas, reserve forests and national parks; and (b) high population density (> 2000 people per km^2) districts, would it remain feasible to store nearly 300 Gt each in ‘deep saline aquifers’ (Is it a promising option?) and ‘Basalts’ (where, instead of CO2 getting trapped in pore spaces, basalt converts CO2 into stone through mineralization)?

India could potentially become a global CCS champion?

If so, then, when could we expect detailed characterization of deep saline and basaltic formations, following the stages of pre-appraisal phase and initial technical appraisal?

Would it remain easier in Indian context towards securing environmental clearance and land acquisition before venturing into infrastructure development?

Whether Indian basalt formations would remain to be associated with the least risky of all underground CCS options, when it is expected to cumulatively sequester around 10 Gt of CO2 by 2050 towards meeting 2 deg C carbon budget?

Suresh Kumar Govindarajan Professor (HAG)    IIT-Madras

https://home.iitm.ac.in/gskumar/

https://iitm.irins.org/profile/61643

18-July-2024