A new analysis from Enervus shows that approvals for carbon capture and storage (CCS) wells are building up in early 2026, even as the rate of new permit submissions starts to slow. This suggests regulatory capacity is expanding, but project developers may be hitting a pause on new applications while awaiting clearer policy signals or cost certainty. For those tracking CCS as a decarbonization tool, this divergence between approvals and submissions matters. A growing approval queue can signal confidence in the pipeline, but a drop in new entries may hint at bottlenecks in project financing or uncertainty around tax credits. The data points to a market that is maturing, not stalling, but still needs consistent policy support to keep momentum.
