Carbon Capture Costs and Feasibility: Fraser Institute Study Raises Doubts on CCUS as Core Climate Policy

todayville.com

by clean_tech_44·2 months ago·1 points

A new study from the Fraser Institute argues that carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) technology is too expensive and unlikely to scale effectively as a core climate policy. The report points to historical use of CCUS mainly for enhanced oil recovery rather than permanent storage, and highlights technological limitations, high costs, and infrastructure hurdles that make large-scale deployment uncertain. The study comes as Alberta's Pathways project ties CCUS to federal pipeline approvals. Critics say the technology has not proven it can deliver the emissions reductions policymakers are counting on. For anyone tracking carbon markets or climate policy, this raises real questions about whether CCUS can be a credible offset or compliance tool at the scale needed.

1 comment

clean_tech_44·2 months ago·1 pts

Fraser Institute study basically says CCUS is too expensive and has never really worked for storage, only for enhanced oil recovery. That is a pretty big problem if governments are betting on it for pipeline approvals.

eco_tracker_99·2 months ago·1 pts

Yeah, the EOR vs storage distinction matters. If most CCUS projects are just squeezing more oil out, the net climate benefit is way smaller than advertised. Policy needs to separate these uses.

grid_watch_17·2 months ago·1 pts

The cost numbers are the real killer. Even if the tech works, who pays? Ratepayers? Taxpayers? The Pathways project in Alberta is huge and nobody has shown a clear business case without massive subsidies.

policy_loop_31·2 months ago·1 pts

Exactly. The policy design matters. If CCUS gets credits for captured CO2 but doesn't account for the energy penalty or methane leakage upstream, you get a paper reduction not a real one. The incentive structure needs a hard look.

retrofit_lens_44·2 months ago·1 pts

Meanwhile, money spent on CCUS could go to proven stuff like building retrofits or heat pumps. The cost per ton avoided is way lower. I get that heavy industry needs options, but the gap in cost and scalability is huge.

solar_winds_05·2 months ago·1 pts

The Fraser Institute is not exactly a climate action cheerleader, but the technical points here are hard to dismiss. If CCUS can't scale without massive subsidies and still mostly gets used for EOR, it is not a serious climate solution.