September 24 - For a long time, carbon capture and storage (CCS) has been viewed as an expensive, outdated solution, even considered a mirage of the fossil fuel era. However, reality is changing: technological progress is accelerating, heavy-emission industries are gradually embracing it, and cross-sector infrastructure continues to take shape. CCS has evolved from concept to application and is gradually becoming a viable solution for industrial decarbonization.

**Infrastructure Formation and Expansion**

Currently, 41 commercial-scale CCS facilities are operational globally, with over 350 projects under development. Capture capacity is expected to experience exponential growth in the coming years. Industries including cement, steel, chemicals, and refining are beginning to view CCS as the only scalable pathway for emission reduction.

In Norway, Heidelberg Materials' Brevik cement plant has launched the world's first carbon capture facility of its kind, capable of capturing 400,000 tons of CO2 annually and transporting it via dedicated vessels to the Northern Lights storage terminal. The UK is also advancing the HyNet and East Coast Cluster projects, aiming to achieve capture targets of 20-30 million tons by 2030. The Benelux region has planned the "Carbon Connect Delta" initiative, which will capture 6.5 million tons of carbon emissions annually by 2030 and transport them to storage formations beneath the North Sea.

These cases demonstrate that CCS has transitioned from pilot experiments to mature industrial networks. Clustered and shared infrastructure models will become key drivers for CCS scale-up.

**Technology and Business Model Diversification**

Currently, CCS has formed a complete technology chain, with over 80 companies providing solutions covering capture, transport, storage, and utilization. Innovation breakthroughs continue to emerge: Evonik's SEPURAN® polymer membranes achieve flue gas separation with lower energy consumption, Nuada utilizes metal-organic framework modules to enhance cement plant capture efficiency, while companies like Climeworks and Carbon Engineering have achieved commercial deployment in direct air capture (DAC).

Soletair embeds DAC into building HVAC systems, making buildings themselves carbon capture nodes, with captured carbon reusable in concrete or fuel production. These emerging pathways not only enhance technology applicability but also make CCS business models more viable.

**Smart Tool Assistance**

CCS scaling also relies on more intelligent reservoir simulation. Neural network-driven simulation tools, such as Nested Fourier Neural Operators, can significantly accelerate CO2 diffusion predictions. The CCSNet platform accelerates injection dynamics analysis through machine learning, providing assurance for regulation, site selection, and safety. Digitalization and intelligence are transforming CCS from traditional engineering solutions into real-time, predictable, and traceable low-carbon solutions.

**Heavy Industry Collective Action**

The chemical industry accounts for approximately 5-6% of global emissions with limited alternatives, making CCS and clean hydrogen key solutions. Today, cement, steel, and refining industries have begun incorporating CCS into capital budgets. From the early Sleipner project to today's Northern Lights, and to industrial clusters across Europe, CCS is becoming part of infrastructure. This cross-industry sharing approach not only reduces cost barriers but also provides practical decarbonization pathways for high-emission industries.

**From Vision to Reality**

Industry sentiment is shifting. Modular technology, shared clusters, tradeable monitoring tools, and other developments are driving CCS toward maturity. The combined force of capital, policy, and industry is making CCS no longer theoretical but gradually becoming a practical tool for industrial low-carbon transformation.

**Real Value, Not a Universal Solution**

Globally, only 40-50 million tons of CO2 are captured annually, representing a tiny fraction compared to global emissions of approximately 40 billion tons. Even with future expansion, CCS contribution rates will only reach 10-20%. However, this is precisely why CCS matters - it serves as a crucial component in the industrial emission reduction toolkit. CCS is not a miracle but provides a realistic and feasible decarbonization pathway for heavy-emission industries. It combines industrial needs, infrastructure, and emerging technologies. While not the complete answer, it is sufficiently important.