Carbon Capture, Utilization & Storage

Global demand for energy is growing, and we are committed to ensuring a sustainable energy future. We believe carbon capture and storage is a central part of efforts to achieve net zero emissions, while ensuring the world can continue to thrive.

What carbon capture technologies are available?

• Capture is the process of capturing CO₂ from exhaust or reformed gases or stationary sources, using technologies categorized under pre-combustion, post-combustion or oxy-combustion
• Sequestration is the process of depositing the captured CO₂ in geological formations
• Utilization is the direct use of captured CO₂ (for example in cement) or the conversion of captured CO₂ and other gases into useful industrial products, such as chemicals or fuels
• Mobile Carbon Capture technology can capture CO₂ from mobile sources and store it on board, ready to be taken away for sequestration or utilization 
• Direct Air Capture is the process of capturing CO₂ directly from the atmosphere (rather than at source) and remove CO₂ to be sequestered or utilized 
• Oxy-combustion is a technology that uses pure oxygen to combust fuels, increasing combustion efficiency and increasing the concentration of CO₂ in flue gases, enabling easier CO₂ capture
• Bio Energy Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) uses CCS technology to extract and store CO₂ from biomass, itself a renewable energy source
• Nature can act as a natural carbon sink, such as mangrove trees which sequester carbon far more effectively (up to 100 times faster) and more permanently than terrestrial forests

What are we doing?

As the world's largest integrated oil and gas company, we believe we are uniquely qualified to drive the technology and collaboration needed to address the global emissions challenge. Our innovative low-carbon practices and technologies already position us as one of the lowest carbon emitters in our industry, and we have the brightest minds continuing their pioneering work in carbon capture and sequestration.

The future of carbon capture

The transition to a low carbon future will be a complex process. Alternatives will take significant time, and renewables – although part of the solution – cannot do it alone. We are playing a leading role in advancing CCUS, but collaboration between all stakeholders will be vital.

As a founding member of the Oil & Gas Climate Initiative (OCGI), we partner with many of the world's leading energy companies to speed the development of CCUS technologies and other GHG emissions reduction solutions. We have also joined forces with public and private institutions around the world to pioneer new ways to recover and use oil and gas, so that we can continue to empower people and economies while emitting significantly less emissions.

The circular carbon economy

CCUS is instrumental in enabling the circular carbon economy, a framework in which emissions of carbon and other GHG are addressed through the 4 Rs: Reduce; Reuse; Recycle; Remove. This circular cycle is what the earth has been doing for billions of years, and by emulating this approach we may help restore the balance of carbon and achieve the greatest impact in reducing global emissions.