CCUS in Oman and the GCC: Building the Carbon Infrastructure of the Future
The Global Context: A Technology Lagging Behind Its Ambitions
Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) is essential to every credible net-zero pathway, yet global deployment remains deeply inadequate. As of Q1 2025, the world had approximately 50 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) of operational CO2 capture capacity, marginally up from 47.4 Mtpa in Q1 2024. The IEA's Net Zero Emissions by 2050 scenario requires over 1 billion tonnes (1 Gt) of CO2 to be captured and stored annually by 2050, meaning current capacity represents just 5% of the required level. Over 700 CCUS projects are in various stages of global development, with a combined potential capacity of around 430 Mtpa by 2030: still less than half of what the net zero scenario demands. Critically, 80% of that pipeline capacity is located in North America or Europe; China and the Middle East together account for only around a quarter of projects currently operational or under construction.MENA CCUS Capacity (2023): 5 Mtpa operational; target 43 Mtpa by 2034 — requiring ~USD 12 billion in investment
GCC Storage Potential: ~169 Gt CO2 total across depleted reservoirs (41.5 Gt), saline aquifers (119.3 Gt) and Oman ophiolite (8.2 Gt)
Oman Active Projects: 3 CCUS projects as of June 2024; national CO2 pipeline network of 800+ km planned
OQGN's Three National CCUS Ecosystems
In a landmark development announced in December 2025, OQ Gas Networks (OQGN), the sole owner and operator of Oman's natural gas transmission infrastructure, unveiled plans for a nationwide CO2 pipeline network. The strategy defines three independent CCUS ecosystems serving Oman's major industrial hubs, with a total dedicated pipeline length exceeding 800 km.The Northern CCUS Ecosystem targets Oman's largest industrial emissions cluster, the Sohar Industrial Area, with a 300 km pipeline network connecting emitters to storage or utilisation sites. OQGN emphasises that this infrastructure will allow the Sohar zone to continue its industrial growth trajectory while reducing absolute emission, potentially unlocking low-carbon product premiums for manufacturers. The Central CCUS Ecosystem serves the fast-growing Duqm industrial zone, with a 200 km pipeline system connecting emitters to potential geological storage sites in Block 6; Oman's largest oil concession. The Southern CCUS Ecosystem is planned for the Salalah Industrial Area, directing captured CO2 to southern Block 6 storage sites within PDO's concession via an estimated 300 km pipeline.
These ecosystems align with three specific national applications of CCUS: decarbonisation of the Sohar industrial cluster; CCUS-enabled blue hydrogen and ammonia production; and CO2 injection for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) across mature fields. PDO signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Shell Development Oman to jointly study CCUS for blue hydrogen production in Block 10, while a separate pipeline project with Oxy Oman will use captured CO2 for EOR.
44.01 and Oman's Mineral Carbon Storage Frontier
Beyond conventional geological storage, Oman is home to one of the world's most promising frontiers in mineralisation-based carbon storage. Start-up 44.01 is pioneering the peridotite mineralisation process in Oman's Samail Ophiolite, a geological formation with an estimated CO2 sequestration capacity of 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of rock, and a total estimated storage potential of 8.2 Gt CO2. The process permanently locks atmospheric CO2 into solid mineral form through a natural, irreversible reaction. This innovation has attracted international attention and could open an entirely new category of carbon removal technology globally, one that is uniquely available at scale in the Sultanate.GCC Competitive Landscape
Oman's CCUS ambitions sit within a rapidly evolving regional landscape. Saudi Arabia, which leads MENA with five operational or planned projects, is developing the Jubail CCS Hub through a shareholders' agreement between Aramco, Linde and SLB, targeting 9 Mtpa from 2027 and an eventual 44 Mtpa by 2035. The UAE leads the region with 15 projects; ADNOC currently targets 10 Mtpa of carbon capture and storage capacity by 2030. Across the GCC, analysts have identified 10 potential CCUS hub clusters with combined CO2 source volumes of 418.6 Mtpa in or near the hubs. Realising this potential requires the region to urgently develop carbon pricing mechanisms, regulatory frameworks, and offtake certainty, areas where the Middle East currently lags Western nations.Source: Zawya – Oman Plans Three Carbon Capture Ecosystems
Source: Dii Desert Energy – MENA Carbon Capture & Storage Q1 2025
Source: Oil & Gas News – Carbon Capture Surges in the Gulf
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