🌑Knowledge Drop – 58: Capturing Carbon, Buying Time: India’s CCUS Roadmap for a Net-Zero Future | For Mains, All G.S Papers: High Quality Essays
🌍 Capturing Carbon, Buying Time: India’s CCUS Roadmap for a Net-Zero Future
Post : 12 Dec 2025
Syllabus: GS-3 | Environment • Climate Change • Energy Transitions
🧭 Context
India has launched its first-ever R&D Roadmap for Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) to support its long-term climate goals, marking a strategic shift in how the country plans to decarbonize its economy without stalling industrial growth.
Prepared by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), the roadmap lays out a science-led pathway to enable India’s Net-Zero by 2070 commitment.
🔥 Why CCUS Matters for India
India is the 3rd largest CO₂ emitter globally, releasing around 2.6 gigatonnes annually. While renewable energy expansion is accelerating, it addresses only about one-third of total emissions.
The remaining emissions arise from “hard-to-abate” sectors:
- 🏭 Steel and cement
- 🧪 Chemicals and fertilisers
- 🛢️ Oil & gas
- ⚡ Coal-based thermal power
Phasing out these sectors overnight is neither feasible nor economically prudent. CCUS emerges as a pragmatic bridge, allowing emissions reduction while industrial capacity evolves.
🔬 What is CCUS?
Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) involves:
- Capturing CO₂ from power plants or industrial sources
- Utilizing CO₂ to create value-added products
- Storing CO₂ permanently in geological formations
🧪 Utilization pathways include:
- Green urea and fertilisers
- Building materials like concrete and aggregates
- Chemicals such as methanol and ethanol
- Polymers and bioplastics
- Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR)
🧱 India’s Geological Advantage
The roadmap estimates up to 600 gigatonnes (Gt) of potential CO₂ storage capacity across India’s geological formations.
It proposes a “cluster model”:
- Multiple industries capture CO₂
- Shared transport pipelines and storage hubs
- Lower costs through economies of scale
This approach mirrors successful CCUS hubs in Europe and North America.
🏗️ Priority Sectors for Deployment
The roadmap identifies sectors where CCUS offers maximum impact:
- 🏗️ Cement manufacturing
- 🔩 Steel and iron production
- 🧪 Petrochemicals and fertilisers
- ⚡ Coal-based baseload power
These sectors are emission-intensive and structurally resistant to full electrification.
📈 What the Roadmap Projects
By 2050, India could:
- Capture up to ~750 million tonnes of CO₂ annually
- Generate large-scale employment across engineering, geology, and manufacturing
- Improve industrial competitiveness
- Reduce import dependence
- Build a circular carbon economy by converting waste CO₂ into resources
🛠️ Policy & Institutional Recommendations
The roadmap stresses that technology alone is insufficient. It calls for:
- 🤝 Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs)
- 💰 Innovative financing via bonds, cess, and government support
- 🧑🔬 Skilled human capital development
- 🛢️ National CO₂ transport and storage infrastructure
- 📊 Monitoring, safety, and regulatory standards
🌱 The Bigger Picture
The CCUS roadmap acknowledges India’s dual reality:
- The need for rapid industrial growth
- The moral and strategic imperative to decarbonize
Rather than choosing between growth and climate action, CCUS offers India a third path — buying time while cleaner systems scale up.
✨ Why This Matters for UPSC
Bridges IAS Genius (Knowledge) with IAS Monk (Wisdom) seamlessly
Links climate policy with industrial strategy
Illustrates India’s transition realism
Strong fodder for GS-3 answers, essays, and ethics case studies
Target IAS-2026+: Highly Expected Prelims MCQs :
📌 Prelims Practice MCQs
Topic:
MCQ 1 | TYPE 1 — How Many Statements Are Correct?
Consider the following statements regarding Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS):
1)CCUS involves capturing carbon dioxide from industrial or power-sector sources and either utilizing it or storing it permanently.
2)CCUS is primarily meant for sectors that can be easily electrified using renewable energy.
3)India’s CCUS roadmap recognises geological storage as one of the major pathways for long-term carbon management.
4)CCUS is considered unnecessary for achieving India’s Net-Zero target due to rapid renewable energy expansion.
How many of the above statements are correct?
A) Only one
B) Only two
C) Only three
D) All four
🌀 Didn’t get it? Click here (▸) for the Correct Answer & Explanation.
🟩 Correct Answer: B) Only two
🧠 Explanation:
1)✅ True – CCUS captures CO₂ and either utilizes or stores it.
2)❌ False – CCUS targets “hard-to-abate” sectors, not easily electrified ones.
3)✅ True – Geological storage is a core CCUS pathway.
4)❌ False – CCUS is crucial despite renewable growth.
MCQ 2 | TYPE 2 — Two-Statement Type
Consider the following statements:
1)India is the third-largest emitter of carbon dioxide globally after China and the United States.
2)Power-sector emissions account for more than two-thirds of India’s total CO₂ emissions.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
A) Only 1 is correct
B) Only 2 is correct
C) Both are correct
D) Neither is correct
🌀 Didn’t get it? Click here (▸) for the Correct Answer & Explanation.
🟩 Correct Answer: A) Only 1 is correct
🧠 Explanation:
1)✅ True – India ranks third globally in CO₂ emissions.
2)❌ False – Power sector contributes only about one-third; the rest is from industrial/process sectors.
MCQ 3 | TYPE 3 — Code-Based Statement Selection
With reference to India’s CCUS Roadmap, consider the following statements:
1)The roadmap proposes a cluster-based model for shared CO₂ transport and storage infrastructure.
2)Utilization of captured CO₂ includes conversion into fertilisers, chemicals, and construction materials.
3)India’s estimated geological CO₂ storage capacity is negligible and insufficient for large-scale CCUS.
Which of the above statements are correct?
A) 1 and 2 only
B) 2 and 3 only
C) 1 and 3 only
D) 1, 2 and 3
🌀 Didn’t get it? Click here (▸) for the Correct Answer & Explanation.
🟩 Correct Answer: A) 1 and 2 only
🧠 Explanation:
1)✅ True – Cluster models improve cost-effectiveness.
2)✅ True – CO₂ can be converted into multiple value-added products.
3)❌ False – India has large estimated storage potential (~600 Gt).
MCQ 4 | TYPE 4 — Direct Factual Question
Which institution prepared India’s R&D Roadmap to Enable Net-Zero Targets through CCUS?
A) Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
B) NITI Aayog
C) Department of Science and Technology
D) Central Electricity Authority
🌀 Didn’t get it? Click here (▸) for the Correct Answer & Explanation.
🟩 Correct Answer: C) Department of Science and Technology
🧠 Explanation:
The CCUS R&D Roadmap was prepared and released by the Department of Science and Technology (DST).
MCQ 5 | TYPE 5 — UPSC 2025 Linkage Reasoning Format (I, II, III)
Consider the following statements:
Statement I:
CCUS is considered a critical enabler for India’s Net-Zero target by 2070.
Statement II:
India’s industrial and baseload energy sectors cannot be rapidly decarbonized using renewable energy alone.
Statement III:
CCUS allows continued use of fossil fuels without any need for emissions reduction.
Which one of the following is correct?
A) Both Statement II and Statement III are correct and both explain Statement I
B) Both Statement II and Statement III are correct but only one explains Statement I
C) Only one of the Statements II and III is correct and that explains Statement I
D) Neither Statement II nor Statement III is correct
🌀 Didn’t get it? Click here (▸) for the Correct Answer & Explanation.
🟩 Correct Answer: C)
🧠 Explanation:
✅ Statement II is correct – Hard-to-abate sectors need CCUS.
❌ Statement III is incorrect – CCUS aims to reduce emissions, not justify unlimited fossil use.
👉 Hence, only Statement II explains Statement I.
