India’s climate goals need a carbon storage roadmap

India’s push for net-zero emissions by 2070 hinges on scaling carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS), but critical gaps remain in storage infrastructure. The Union Budget 2026-27 allocated ₹20,000 crore to CCUS, recognizing its necessity for sectors like steel, cement, and power—responsible for over half of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. These industries rely on carbon-intensive processes, such as limestone in cement production and coke in steelmaking, making emissions reduction challenging without CCUS. While India’s CO₂ storage potential is theoretically vast—ranging from 400 to 600 gigatonnes in depleted oil and gas fields, deep aquifers, and basalt formations—current assessments lack the high-resolution, investment-grade mapping required for real-world projects. A National Storage Atlas, developed through systematic subsurface surveys, is essential to identify suitable geological formations, assess risks, and certify storage sites. Without this, uncertainty could stall CCUS deployment despite India’s advanced technology readiness. India has made progress with pilot projects, including a geological storage atlas for select coalfields developed by NTPC’s R&D arm, NETRA, in collaboration with IIT Bombay. The Geological Survey of India is also advancing mapping efforts, but a national mission is needed to standardize data and accelerate infrastructure development. Experts emphasize that CCUS must be treated as a core industrial strategy, not just a climate tool, to align with India’s net-zero goals. The urgency is underscored by climate impacts already reshaping the country, including record winter heatwaves, flooding displacing 5.4 million people, and agricultural disruptions from erratic monsoons. With hard-to-abate sectors dominating emissions, CCUS is a critical bridge to a sustainable future, but its success depends on overcoming subsurface uncertainties through targeted mapping and policy support.