This workshop brought together academic, government, and industry experts to review the status of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies, as well as the policy frameworks that would support further development.

In both the electric power and industrial sectors, CCUS can play an important role in reducing global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2). As of July 2016, a dozen countries are home to nearly forty large-scale CCUS projects in various stages of planning, construction, or operation.

The current cost of employing CCUS technologies is high, however—$60 to $70 per metric ton of CO2 for power plants for capture, storage, and transport. Utilization of the produced CO2 can help defray costs, but investment in CCUS often would not occur without a supporting policy framework. The Trump administration has expressed interest in “clean coal”—and support for CCUS fits into this strategy.