National CCUS Strategy Urgently Needed to Strengthen Carbon Removal Roadmap

Low Emission Technology Australia (LETA) supports today’s release of the CSIRO’s Australian Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) Roadmap, but says Australia is still missing a national carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) strategy.  

The technologies outlined in the CSIRO Roadmap – including rock weathering and direct air capture – will play an important role in reaching net zero, but this approach must be supported by large-scale carbon capture and storage projects in order to deliver genuine emissions reduction.  

“Australia cannot reach net zero without a national CCUS strategy,” said LETA CEO Mark McCallum. “We need a coordinated plan that brings states and the Commonwealth together, sets clear sequestration targets, and unlocks the infrastructure investment needed to capture, transport and permanently store carbon at scale.” 

“Other countries like the UK, the US, Japan and Korea are charging ahead with their own national policy frameworks, on top of investing billions of dollars, and Australia risks being left behind.” 

“We need a coordinated plan that connects our industrial regions, storage basins, and innovation programs so that large-scale emissions reduction can actually happen.”  

CCUS is already a proven and essential technology for decarbonising heavy industry, and represents one of Australia’s strongest opportunities for industrial growth, regional jobs and emissions reduction at scale. 

LETA said that while the CSIRO Roadmap highlights the importance of new carbon removal technologies, the immediate priority should be establishing a policy framework that enables deployment of proven CCUS solutions in hard-to-abate sectors such as steel, cement, fertiliser and coal production. 

Independent EY-Parthenon analysis commissioned by LETA shows that a coordinated east-coast CCS network could contribute $66 billion to GDP, create 15,000 new jobs, and store up to 17 million tonnes of CO₂ each year. Similar analysis from the International Energy Agency has found that CCUS could deliver nearly 15 per cent of the global emissions reduction needed by 2050. 

“Australia has the geology, the expertise and the industrial base to lead the world in carbon capture and storage,” Mr McCallum said. “What we need now is national coordination, clear targets and a policy signal that gives investors confidence to build the infrastructure that will underpin net zero.” 

ENDS