Context:
The Union Budget has allocated ₹20,000 crore for Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) technologies, supporting India’s goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2070.
Key Highlights:
- Budgetary Allocation
- ₹20,000 crore allocated for CCUS development over five years.
- Purpose of CCUS
- Capture carbon dioxide emissions from industrial processes.
- Either store the CO₂ underground or convert it into useful products.
- Global Context
- Currently, only about 50 million tonnes of CO₂ are captured annually worldwide, representing less than 0.5% of global emissions (~40 billion tonnes).
- Targeted Industries
- Especially important for hard-to-abate sectors such as:
- Steel
- Cement
- Chemicals
- Research and Innovation
- Centres of Excellence at IIT Bombay and Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research are developing indigenous CCUS solutions.
- Policy Support
- Department of Science and Technology released a CCUS R&D roadmap for 2030.
Relevant Prelims Points:
- Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS)
- Technology that captures CO₂ emissions and either stores them underground or converts them into products.
- Net-Zero Emissions
- Balance between greenhouse gas emissions produced and those removed from the atmosphere.
- India’s Net-Zero Target
- Announced at COP26 Glasgow Climate Conference (2021).
- Target year: 2070.
- Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)
- EU policy imposing carbon tariffs on imports based on carbon intensity of production.
Relevant Mains Points:
- Importance of CCUS for Climate Goals
- Helps reduce emissions in industries where renewable alternatives are limited.
- Supports clean energy transition.
- Economic and Trade Benefits
- Enables Indian industries to comply with international carbon regulations such as CBAM.
- Enhances global competitiveness of Indian exports.
- Technological Opportunities
- Development of indigenous low-carbon technologies.
- Creation of green industrial innovation ecosystems.
- Challenges
- High technology and infrastructure costs.
- Need for safe geological storage sites.
- Limited commercial scalability currently.
- Way Forward
- Increase public and private investment in climate technologies.
- Develop carbon markets and incentives for CCUS adoption.
- Promote international technology partnerships.
UPSC Relevance:
- GS Paper III: Climate change mitigation technologies, sustainable development.
- Prelims: CCUS, CBAM, net-zero targets.