An industry consortium has identified five sites across the Asia-Pacific, including Australia, as the most viable locations for large-scale carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) hubs.
The breakthrough comes as part of the CCUS Hub Study, a first-of-its-kind initiative aimed at decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors like steelmaking, cement, and chemical production. After a rigorous Phase 1 assessment of more than 3,000 potential locations, the list has been narrowed to two sites in India, and one each in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Australia.
The study is backed by a leading group of global industrial players, including BHP, Chevron, Mitsui & Co., and major steel producers like Hyundai Steel and JSW Steel.
The group recently welcomed three partners: Japanese shipping giant “K” LINE, Kobe Steel, and the Australian-based Low Emission Technology Australia (LETA).
Their involvement is expected to sharpen the study’s focus on the logistics of transporting carbon dioxide across international waters and deep-tech abatement in the steel sector.
Michitomo Iwashita, Senior Managing Corporate Officer at “K” Line said: “We believe that CCUS will play a vital role in realising a carbon neutral society in the future.
“In particular, for hard-to-abate sectors such as the steel industry, CCUS represents an indispensable solution for achieving decarbonisation.
“Through our participation in this consortium, we will deepen collaboration with industry partners and actively contribute, from the perspective of maritime transportation, to the establishment of a sustainable CO₂ value chain.”
The selected hubs represent a mix of onshore and offshore storage options. The goal is to create shared infrastructure that allows multiple industrial emitters to aggregate, transport, and store carbon dioxide, leveraging economies of scale to make the technology commercially feasible.
The findings to date demonstrate that regardless which hub is selected, strong policy support, targeted incentives, and clear regulatory frameworks are critical to making CCUS commercially viable.
Phase 2 of the study will now shift to detailed engineering and commercial roadmaps.
This next stage will focus on defining the business cases and regulatory requirements needed to move these projects toward a final investment decision.
