Countries in Asia have been developing their carbon capture and storage (CCS) capabilities but this pathway could lead to additional emissions of 25bn t of CO2 equivalent (CO2e), according to a report by research institute Climate Analytics.
Regional governments and industry have presented CCS as a mitigation strategy, with projects usually seeking to maintain and even expand fossil fuel use. But adequate CCS technology has not yet materialised, with ongoing failures, low capture rates and high costs, stated the report, which was published on 5 October.
If countries in Asia continue on a high-CCS pathway, this would lead to additional cumulative greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of almost 25bn t of CO2 equivalent (CO2e) by 2050. This is more than the cumulative fossil fuel CO2 emissions individually generated by all Asian countries, except for China, India, and Japan. The rise would be a result of CCS not capturing close to all emissions when used for fossil fuels.
The report looks at current projects and prospective future deployment, and some of the region’s largest economies and GHG emitters, including China, India, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore, and Australia, which is closely involved in Asian fossil fuel trade and CCS plans.
There are 156 CCS projects in the pipeline in Asia, including Australia, but only 18 are operational, with 10 under construction and the remaining still in the planning stage, said the report, citing IEA data. There is a high chance these planned projects may not become operational.
Countries like Indonesia have expressed their intent to expand oil and gas production through the use of CCS, and have seen a spike in CCS investment from majors such as BP and ExxonMobil.
CCS has not performed well so far, and usually captures 50pc of emissions at best, according to the report. Additionally, a large amount of the emissions captured are also used to extract more fossil fuels. Southeast Asia and Australia are also seeking to form CO2 storage and transit hubs, which will likely extend fossil fuel production as many of these projects involve oil and gas firms as partners.
Fossil fuel energy and industrial facilities with CCS are also becoming less competitive compared with more economic and sustainable mitigation options such as renewable energy and storage and electrification. Applying CCS in the power sector could result in a levelised cost of electricity that is potentially double that of renewables firmed with storage, according to the report.
Countries should instead move away from CCS and promote low-cost and zero-emissions renewables and electrification technologies, the report stated.