Thank you to all our members and guests who joined us for the 2026 America’s Forum on Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). Over 200 attendees from various organizations gathered for a packed day that included panels on global trade, data centers, enhanced recovery, low carbon investments and other topics and concluded with a networking reception. We wish to sincerely thank our sponsors, EQT and SLB, and the Government of Australia for hosting us at your beautiful embassy in Washington, D.C. What follows is a brief synopsis of the day’s panels and insights.
Opening remarks from Jason Robertson, Charge d’Affaires at the Embassy of Australia
Australia is one of the world’s leaders in CCS deployment with two operational commercial scale storage projects, two research and demonstration projects, 17 offshore CCS permits, and the successful storage of over 13 million tons of CO2. The country recognizes that carbon management, including CCS, CCU, and CDR, and technology-neutral policies will help it to achieve its climate targets to reduce emissions by 62-70% below 2005 levels by 2035 and reach net zero by 2050. Australia is making progress on enabling cross-border carbon storage through implementation of the London Protocol amendments and is establishing a framework to regulate offshore, transboundary CCS. Community engagement and social acceptance are still critical ingredients for successful CCS projects and require coordinated efforts from governments, industry, and trusted institutions to address misinformation. In summary, the Australian government is committed to addressing regulatory and policy barriers and contributing to technical expertise that will advance carbon management and economic growth in the country.
Fireside chat with EQT
GCCSI’s CEO, Jarad Daniels, hosted a fireside chat with EQT’s EVP of Upstream, Sarah Fenton, in which they discussed EQT’s role as America’s largest vertically integrated natural gas producer and its aims to become net zero. EQT is leveraging its scale to build CCUS projects which are crucial for future operations. Examples of the sustainability initiatives the company is pursuing are standard well design and combo developments which significantly reduce scope one emissions, electrification of oil fields, use of electric frack fleets and the replacement of pneumatic devices with electric ones, and advanced methane monitoring. Demand for natural gas is booming in Appalachia, driven by the AI and data center industries. CCS projects will be critical for decarbonization efforts but these continue to face key challenges in infrastructure development, community acceptance and regulatory alignment. Appalachia can be a leading energy and carbon hub and EQT is trying to lead the way by proving the repeatability of CCS projects, coupled with mid- and long-term goals.
Global Trade: Charting the Low-Carbon Frontier
This panel discussed the evolution of low carbon trade emphasizing the need for a common rule book for carbon intensity scores, the importance remaining adaptable to changing regulations, the various ammonia certification systems and the need for interoperability and government recognition. Speakers from CF Industries, Linde, and Woodside Energy discussed their low-C initiatives. CF Industries produces low carbon ammonia with Exxon Mobil, reducing emissions by 2 million tons annually. Linde is involved in hydrogen and carbon capture projects, and Woodside Energy acquired the Beaumont New Ammonia Asset, aiming to lead in low carbon ammonia production. Further discussions centered on the importance of policy certainty, such as the 45Q tax credit, standardized approaches to enable international trade and stimulate new demand, and the challenges of aligning supply chains regionally. The European Union’s carbon border adjustment mechanism was highlighted as a significant policy development.
What It Takes to Attract Data Centers to NG+CCS Power
Panelists from SLB, Amazon Web Services, ADM, and LCI, discussed the technical, financial, and regulatory challenges of scaling CCS projects on natural gas power plants. These will be critical to help decarbonize electricity production where demand is expected to rise 35-40% by 2040. The Broadwing project was held up as a successful case study which started as a conversation between LCI and ADM around power and steam, leading to a power off-take deal with Google. Key success factors for this project leveraged existing carbon management infrastructure and co-generation. Demand from customers for low-carbon power along with carbon storage propelled the project forward. Further conversation focused on the importance of technical and commercial creativity in integrating gas turbines and carbon capture technology, the need for catalytic investments to lower the cost curve to enhance financeability and scalability of future projects, and the potential for hyper-scalers to form a buyer’s consortium to develop a cluster of projects. Opportunities exist for scaling gas with CCS for data centers founded largely on existing EOR infrastructure.
Advancing CCS with Enhanced Recovery
The panel shared that EOR already has stored 300 million tons of CO2 enabling production of 3 billion barrels of low-carbon oil. EOR is a potential pathway for enabling CCS and carbon management more broadly, and there are enormous opportunities for EOR in diverse regions of the country. Speakers from EQT, Energy and Environmental Research Center in North Dakota, Carbon Utilization Research Council, and Advanced Resources International emphasized the importance of recycling reservoirs and existing infrastructure for EOR and CCS, the need for CO2 infrastructure along with state and federal policy support to advance EOR in the context of carbon management.
CCUS Development in China: Status and Trends
Dr. Xiaoliang Yang, the Institute’s China Country Manager, shared updates on the state of CCS in China. China is the world’s largest cement and steel producer, necessitating CO2 emissions reductions but is aiming for 7-8% greenhouse gas reduction by 2035 and net neutrality by 2060. The country is demonstrating large-scale CCS projects that span various sectors, with significant advancements in coal power, cement, steel, and petrochemical sectors. Early commercialization is expected by 2030, and the country already has the largest operational coal power CCS project, capturing 1.5 million tons of CO2 annually. International collaborations since 2000 have built China’s technical foundation, and policy tools like the carbon emission reduction facility and the advanced low carbon technology demonstration program support decarbonization. Despite the progress, challenges remain in transport and storage infrastructure and policy incentives.
Carbon Removal book discussion with the authors
Howard Herzog and Niall MacDowell discussed their book, Carbon Removal, highlighting four main carbon removal pathways: enhancing land sinks, biomass-based removal, engineering removal, and ocean-based removal. They emphasized the challenges of scaling carbon removal to a billion tons annually, including permanence, accounting, and cost. They noted that carbon removal can complement emissions reduction in which case it is not a moral hazard. They also discussed the role of carbon removal in achieving net zero and the importance of accurate accounting and policy considerations. Insightful audience questions spurred a good discussion on the role of CCS, the impact of carbon removal on carbon prices, and educating the younger generation on decarbonization.
From Awareness to Acceptance: Building Public Confidence in Carbon Management
This panel consisted of project developers, Deep Sky and AirCapture, along with a representative from the Office of Energy Research and Development at Natural Resources Canada and an academic from American University on how the general public factors into the development of CCS projects. Panelists discussed their strategies to build public confidence in carbon management technologies and their focus on community engagement and transparency. The panel agreed on the need for real projects, transparency, and community benefits to foster acceptance and also highlighted the role of government in establishing policy stability and international collaboration to accelerate project deployment and build trust.
Regional Prosperity Through Low-Carbon Investment
The penultimate panel highlighted three regions in the Americas—Wyoming, Alberta, and the Gulf Coast—and the reasons they can attract low-carbon investments. Commonalities between the regions are state/provincial frameworks that provide capital support or incentives for low-carbon development (e.g., Wyoming’s $100 million Energy Matching Fund and Alberta’s ACCIP tax credit were highlighted), Class VI primacy, supportive infrastructure, and culture. In addition, the panelists discussed the challenges in Louisiana, importance of regulatory certainty, the impact of DOE funding uncertainty, and the value of early community engagement to mitigate opposition.
Levers for At-Scale Deployment of CCUS
The day concluded with a wide-ranging discussion between the Corporate Energy Buyers Alliance (CEBA) and Baker Hughes on the challenges and opportunities for scaling CCS. Speakers honed in on the need for market structure evolution to overcome fragmentation and enable long-term bankable revenues. Baker Hughes highlighted the importance of integrating technologies across the value chain, including capture, transport, and storage, to optimize projects. The discussion also emphasized the role of energy attribute certificates (EACs) in de-risking projects and the potential for CCS to complement renewable energy commitments. The importance of having accurate data, regulatory support, and public-private collaboration was underscored as necessary to drive large-scale CCS deployment.
Event Materials
The following resources are now available:
