Climate solutions

Carbon capture and storage

ExxonMobil is the leader in carbon capture, with current carbon capture capacity totaling about 9 million tons per year.

ccs development

What is carbon capture?

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is the process of capturing CO2 that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere from industrial activity, and injecting it into deep geologic formations for safe, secure and permanent storage. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the International Energy Agency agree that CCS is one of the most important low-carbon technologies required to achieve societal climate goals at the lowest cost. CCS is also one of the only technologies that could enable some industry sectors to decarbonize, including the refining, chemicals, cement and steel sectors. Learn more about CCS at ExxonMobil

Carbon capture and storage could help reduce CO2 in emission-intensive industries. See how it works. 

"With our demonstrated leadership in carbon capture and emissions reduction technologies, ExxonMobil is committed to meeting the demand for affordable energy while reducing emissions and managing the risks of climate change."

Critical technology

The International Energy Agency calls carbon capture and storage one of the critical technologies required to achieve net-zero emissions and the climate goals outlined in the Paris Agreement. 

120M metric tons of CO2

ExxonMobil has cumulatively captured more CO2 than any other company – 120 million metric tons – accounting for approximately 40 percent of all the anthropogenic CO2 that has ever been captured.

Climate solutions

CCS in action

Learn more about how ExxonMobil is advancing several carbon capture and storage opportunities around the world to help support our commitment to the Paris Agreement. Learn more

Key policy actions needed to scale up carbon capture and storage

Carbon capture and storage is one of the few proven technologies with the potential to significantly reduce emissions from certain hard-to-decarbonize sectors, such as manufacturing and heavy industry. However, new policies are needed to spur the investment required to deploy CCS at such a pace and scale. Here are the key and immediate actions required to continue moving forward:

  • Enhance the CCS Production Tax Credit (45Q) for non-EOR (enhanced oil recovery)

    • Initially increase value to ~$100 per metric ton from current $50
    • Extend eligibility period to 30 years from current 12 years
    • Eliminate deadline for starting construction

  • Ensure government approval for CO2 storage

    • Specifically allow offshore storage of CO2 from sources other than coal
    • Authorize the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to issue leases, rights of way and pore space
    • Clarify that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has authority for permitting CO2 injection in subsea formations

  • Provide financial support for CCS infrastructure

    • Provide a $10 billion grant to help develop infrastructure in Houston by extending current U.S. Department of Energy programs beyond research, development and demonstration (RD&D)
    • Expand the U.S. Department of Energy Title XVII program to include the deployment of existing CCS technologies at scale
    • Amend TIFIA (Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act) to add CCS projects, or create a program dedicated to CCS

New CCS Technology

Driving innovation with CCS solutions
One day MOFs could help capture

>90%

of CO2 produced by natural gas power plants.
MOFs mirror nature by resembling a key enzyme found in plants that is responsible for one of the most effective carbon capture processes in nature: photosynthesis.

new technlology

Researching a new material for capturing carbon

Through our research collaboration with the University of California, Berkeley, we are in the early stages of developing a new material called metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). If commercialized, MOFs could help capture a majority of the carbon dioxide natural gas power plants produce to generate electricity. Learn more about this material

All articles about carbon capture and storage

ExxonMobil, CNOOC and Shell to pursue carbon capture and storage hub in China IRVING, Texas – ExxonMobil, Shell, CNOOC, and Guangdong Provincial Development & Reform Commission have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to evaluate the potential for a world-scale carbon capture and storage project to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the Dayawan Petrochemical Industrial Park in Huizhou, Guangdong Province, China. 

Newsroom News • June 27, 2022

ExxonMobil begins design studies for South East Australia carbon capture hub in Gippsland IRVING, Texas – ExxonMobil said today it is undertaking early front-end engineering design studies (pre-FEED) to determine the potential for carbon capture and storage to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from multiple industries in the Gippsland Basin.

Newsroom News • April 14, 2022

Supporting policies that can reduce emissions Deploying carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology to reduce emissions is critical to achieving the goals laid out in the Paris Agreement. But supportive policies are required to foster investment. Here are a few we support.

Carbon capture Energy Factor • Jan. 24, 2022

Industry support for large-scale carbon capture and storage continues to gain momentum in Houston HOUSTON, Texas – Three additional companies have announced their support for exploring the implementation of large-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology in and around the Houston industrial area. Air Liquide, BASF and Shell are joining Calpine, Chevron, Dow, ExxonMobil, INEOS, Linde, LyondellBasell, Marathon Petroleum, NRG Energy, Phillips 66 and Valero to collectively evaluate and advance emissions reduction efforts in and around the Houston industrial area. Today’s announcement increases the momentum for CCS and aligns with efforts to reduce emissions around the world. 

Newsroom News • Jan. 20, 2022

An environmental solution with economic benefits As decarbonization solutions continue to scale up around the world, carbon capture and storage (CCS) offers an opportunity to create a vast network of new jobs, spark billions in economic development  and generate infrastructure investments around large industrial hubs.

Carbon capture Energy Factor • Dec. 15, 2021