Carbon Clean Unveils One of the World’s Largest Carbon Capture Research Hubs in India

Image Credit: Carbon Clean

Carbon Clean, a carbon capture company based in London, has just opened what it’s calling one of the world’s most extensive dedicated carbon capture research facilities. Located in Navi Mumbai, India, the new Global Innovation Centre spans more than 77,000 square feet. It includes two full-scale carbon capture plants, as well as advanced laboratories for developing, analysing, and testing carbon capture solvents. The company sees the facility as a central hub for innovation, experimentation, and technology demonstration.

The centre is designed to support research into carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS), with a sharp focus on scaling engineering solutions for the industries that are hardest to decarbonise. According to Carbon Clean, this investment will also help strengthen clean tech ties between the United Kingdom and India—two nations with significant stakes in global climate progress.

A key ambition for the facility is to accelerate the deployment of CycloneCC, the company’s modular carbon capture system. Modular by design, CycloneCC aims to provide an adaptable pathway to decarbonisation, particularly in industrial sectors where emissions are otherwise challenging to reduce.

“As a UK-headquartered company founded in India, this investment underscores the economic and industrial opportunities CCUS offers both countries. It also reflects our global commitment to tackling the complex challenge of industrial decarbonisation at scale,” Aniruddha Sharma, Chair and CEO of Carbon Clean, commented.

Sharma further remarked: “With pilot partnerships already underway in India, we are well positioned to progress rapidly from demonstration to large-scale deployment, helping industries remain competitive as regulations such as the EU and UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanisms come into force.”

India, which has set a target to reach net-zero emissions by 2070, is placing increasing emphasis on CCUS as a core component of its climate strategy. Heavy industries, such as steel, cement, and oil refining, continue to account for a significant share of the country’s emissions. In response, the government and private sector are collaborating to develop policy frameworks, launch pilot programs, and enhance international cooperation to bring CCUS technologies to fruition.

One of the country’s most ambitious policy initiatives is the forthcoming National CCUS Mission. The program is expected to roll out a range of financial incentives, including viability gap funding and carbon pricing tools, to encourage widespread adoption of carbon capture systems across the industry. This follows closely on the heels of the 2023 launch of the Carbon Credit Trading Scheme, which introduced legally binding emission cuts for high-polluting sectors and created a voluntary market for carbon offsets.

On the implementation side, India’s first industrial-scale CO2 capture project is already underway. In a joint venture between Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), carbon emissions will be captured from the Koyali refinery in Gujarat and stored in the nearby Gandhar oil field. Other state-run refineries, such as Bharat Petroleum (BPCL), are expected to follow suit with similar projects by 2026.

International partnerships are also playing an increasingly significant role. In late 2022, UK-based energy firm Shell joined forces with ONGC to explore carbon storage and enhanced oil recovery in strategic geological basins across India. Meanwhile, geo-data specialist Fugro, headquartered in the Netherlands, teamed up with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay to explore CCUS solutions that could help drive down India’s emissions even further.

On the global front, carbon capture and storage is at a critical inflexion point. According to a recent report from DNV, the Norway-based classification society, the value of CCS could quadruple by 2030. But progress is far from guaranteed. Economic headwinds and tighter national budgets could limit investment and stall deployment at the exact moment rapid growth is needed. To stay on track for net-zero, DNV estimates that global CCS capacity must scale up sixfold from where it stands today.