NITI Aayog hosts Workshop on Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage in Cement Sector
Published: Jan 18, 2025
By TIOLCorplaws News Service
NEW DELHI, JAN 18, 2025: NITI Aayog organized a pivotal workshop titled "Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) in the Indian Cement Sector" at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, on 16th January 2025. The workshop saw participation from Principal Scientific Advisor to Government of India, Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Dr. VK Saraswat, Member, NITI Aayog; Pankaj Agarwal, Secretary, Ministry of Power; Dr. N. Kalaiselvi, DG CSIR and dignitaries from government, PSUs, industry, think tanks, and academia.
The workshop is part of India's ongoing efforts to achieve its net-zero target of 2070 and ensure a sustainable future. Decarbonizing the cement sector is vital for meeting the country's long-term environmental goals, and to achieve that, CCUS needs to play a crucial role in reducing emissions in the cement sector. The objective of the workshop was to discuss sector-specific approaches to decarbonization and explore CCUS technologies as a cornerstone of India's strategy to reduce emissions by tailoring solutions to the unique challenges and opportunities in the cement sector.
The Indian cement industry plays a vital role in the country's development, supporting infrastructure and urbanization. With an installed capacity of 600 million tonnes and production of 391 million tonnes of cement in 2022-23, the cement sector plays a key role in the country's economy and contributes approximately 5.8% of India's CO2 emissions. A significant portion of these emissions can be eliminated through the commercialization of technologies like kiln electrification and solar fuel, and more efficient production of clinker may help the cement sector move closer towards net zero, but they alone are insufficient. It is estimated that 35% to 45% of the sector's total emissions will require CCUS as an essential abatement lever.
India has immense potential for CCUS, with regions like the Krishna-Godavari Basin, Deccan Traps, and mature oil and gas fields offering substantial CO2 storage capacity. By leveraging this potential and adopting innovative CO2 utilization pathways—such as producing methanol, biodegradable plastics, and value-added chemicals—the cement sector can pave the way for a sustainable, low-carbon future.
In the inaugural session, the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Prime Minister highlighted the significant challenges in decarbonizing the cement sector, a particularly hard-to-abate industry. He stressed the importance of balancing economic growth with emissions reduction and underscored the pivotal role of research and development in advancing carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies to achieve these objectives.
Dr. V K Saraswat, Member, NITI Aayog, commended the Honourable Prime Minister's leadership in guiding India toward a net-zero economy, as reflected in the nation's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). He emphasized the essential role of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS), along with clean technology, in reducing emissions. Highlighting the significant role of the Asia-Pacific region in the growing global cement market, he pointed out the potential for CCUS applications within India's cement sector. He also outlined possible pathways to achieve the country's net-zero target by 2070. Furthermore, Dr. VKS stressed the crucial importance of carbon pricing and climate finance as indispensable tools for decarbonizing India's cement industry.
Pankaj Agarwal, Secretary, Ministry of Power, indicated that the ministry is working on preparing the CCUS Mission. Ranjith Rath, CMD Oil India Limited, emphasized the urgency of innovative carbon capture and storage solutions, exploring geo-sequestration techniques and multidisciplinary approaches to mitigate emissions and achieve global climate goals. The discussions also highlighted the role of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) in developing CCUS technologies in the country. DST has also set up a Centre of Excellence on "Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Sequestration" Cross-disciplinary Initiatives [DST-CoE-CCUS-CDI] to address the mitigation of CO2 emissions to achieve Net Zero aspirations of the Indian Government.
The workshop addressed several critical topics such as CCUS Technologies and associated Challenges and Feasibility, Financing of CCUS in India, CO2 Utilization and Storage, and the Vision for CCUS in Cement. The workshop underscored the urgency of developing a comprehensive CCUS roadmap for the cement sector. This roadmap will align with India's climate commitments while supporting the industry's growth and competitiveness. Collaboration among policymakers, industry leaders, researchers, and financiers is essential to realize the vision of a decarbonized cement sector.
