Optimal source–sink matching and prospective hub– cluster configurations for CO2 capture and storage in India

Abstract

At COP26, India announced strong climate commitments of reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2070. Meeting this target would likely require substantial deployment of CO2 capture and storage (CCS) to decarbonize existing large-point sources of CO2. This study attempts to evaluate opportunities for deployment of CCS in India in the forthcoming decades. A geographic information system-based approach was adopted for mapping existing sources of CO2 with the sinks. The results show that regionally-appropriate ways of moving towards CCS at scale exist in both the power and industrial sectors. Coupled analysis of these sectors with sinks shows that eight clusters may be developed throughout the country to sequester 403 Mt-CO2 annually. These clusters are concentrated near Category-I oil basins and the Category-I coalfields (Damodar Valley), which may also create suitable financial incentives by incremental oil and coalbed methane recovery, respectively. Furthermore, a first-order costing analysis evaluates that the cost of avoidance across basins may range from –$31 to $107/t-CO2, depending on the type of storage reservoir and the proximity to large-point sources. A total of 12 suitable hubs and clusters were created based on annual emissions above 1 Mt-CO2 of each large-point source and their proximity with geological sinks.