Top 10 CCUS Projects: Pathways Alliance’s C$16.5 B plan, Equinor’s 2 FIDs, and Occidental’s DAC hubs (2024-2026)

The Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) sector is defined by a critical divide between ambitious, capital-intensive announcements and the challenging reality of achieving a Final Investment Decision (FID). While North American mega-projects like the Pathways Alliance command headlines with multi-billion-dollar commitments, their progress hinges on regulatory certainty and government subsidies. In contrast, projects like Equinor‘s in the UK have successfully navigated these hurdles to reach FID, signaling that government backing is the key determinant of a project’s transition from plan to execution. For 2025 and beyond, the dominant trend is this “FID chasm, ” where the viability of the world’s largest decarbonization projects will be decided not just by technology, but by policy.

1. Pathways Alliance Carbon Capture Network

Company: Pathways Alliance (consortium including Canadian Natural Resources, Cenovus Energy, Conoco Phillips Canada, Imperial Oil, MEG Energy, and Suncor Energy)
Capacity: A 400-kilometre pipeline to transport CO 2 from over 20 oil sands facilities.
Application: Large-scale CO 2 transportation and storage from oil sands operations.
Source: Pathways Alliance’s $16.5 B carbon capture network faces critical year

2. Woodside Bonaparte CCS Project

Company: Woodside Energy
Capacity: Large-scale storage hub for CO 2 from various sources.
Application: CO 2 storage hub.
Source: [PDF] second-quarter-2025-report.pdf – Woodside Energy

3. Occidental Stratos Direct Air Capture (DAC) Hub

Company: 1 Point Five (a subsidiary of Occidental)
Capacity: Scaling to 500, 000 tonnes per year by the end of 2026.
Application: Direct Air Capture (DAC) and sequestration.
Source: Stratos DAC facility targets 500, 000 t capacity by the end of 2026

4. Occidental South Texas DAC Hub

Company: 1 Point Five (Occidental), potential JV with XRG (ADNOC)
Capacity: Planned capacity of 500, 000 tonnes of CO 2 per year.
Application: Direct Air Capture (DAC) and sequestration.
Source: Occidental and ADNOC’s XRG Agree to Evaluate Joint Venture to …

5. Ningxia 3 Mt/a CCUS Demonstration Project

Company: Not specified
Capacity: 3 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa).
Application: CCUS demonstration.
Source: [PDF] INTERNATIONAL ENERGY AGENCY

6. China Huaneng CCUS Project

Company: China Huaneng Group
Capacity: 1.5 Mtpa.
Application: CO 2 capture from a coal-fired power plant.
Source: [PDF] China’s impressive strides towards carbon capture, utilisation and …

7. Holcim Carbon 2 Business Project

Company: Holcim
Capacity: Over 1.2 Mtpa of CO 2.
Application: CO 2 capture from a cement plant.
Source: CARBON 2 BUSINESS carbon capture and utilization project – Holcim

8. DT Midstream Louisiana CCS Project

Company: DT Midstream
Capacity: Approximately 0.9 Mtpa.
Application: CO 2 capture and storage.
Source: [PDF] DT Midstream Company Presentation – November 2024

9. Equinor UK East Coast Cluster Projects

Company: Equinor and partners
Capacity: Anchor projects for the East Coast Cluster transportation and storage network.
Application: Decarbonizing power generation (Net Zero Teesside Power) and hydrogen production (H 2 H Saltend).
Source: Equinor and partners approve execution of UK’s first carbon capture …

10. CHN Energy Jinjie CCUS Project

Company: CHN Energy
Capacity: 500, 000 tonnes per year (0.5 Mtpa).
Application: CO 2 capture from the coal-fired power sector.
Source: Full text: China’s Energy Transition

Table: Top 10 CCUS Projects by Commitment and Scale

CCUS Applications, from 20+ Oil Sands Facilities to Cement Plants

The diversity of CCUS applications is expanding, signaling a move beyond its traditional association with enhanced oil recovery. The project list demonstrates a broadening industrial base for decarbonization. The Pathways Alliance targets CO 2 from over 20 oil sands facilities, a point-source-rich environment. In contrast, Holcim‘s Carbon 2 Business project addresses emissions from cement manufacturing, one of the most difficult-to-abate sectors. Meanwhile, Occidental‘s ventures with 1 Point Five are pushing the frontier with large-scale Direct Air Capture (DAC) hubs, designed to remove historical CO 2 from the atmosphere. This diversification implies that CCUS is not a monolithic solution but a portfolio of technologies being tailored to specific industrial needs, from power generation (China Huaneng Group) to hydrogen production (Equinor‘s H 2 H Saltend).

North America Leads CCUS, but China and the UK Gain Ground

Geographically, North America remains the epicenter of large-scale CCUS project development, driven by significant capital commitments and supportive policy like the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act. Canada’s Pathways Alliance represents a colossal C$16.5 billion bet on decarbonizing the oil sands, while Occidental and DT Midstream are advancing major hubs in Texas and Louisiana. However, other regions are making significant strides. China has emerged as a key player with multiple large-scale projects, including the operational CHN Energy Jinjie facility and the massive 1.5 Mtpa China Huaneng project. In Europe, the UK has signaled strong intent, with Equinor‘s projects reaching FID in December 2024, anchoring the East Coast Cluster and providing a crucial template for commercial-scale CCUS in the region.

C$16.5 Billion Committed, But Pathways Alliance FID Remains Pending

The data reveals a market in multiple stages of maturity. A few projects, like CHN Energy‘s Jinjie facility, are already operational, providing valuable real-world data. A larger cohort, including Occidental‘s Stratos DAC hub and China Huaneng‘s project, are under construction, representing the next wave of capacity coming online. However, the bulk of the announced capital and capacity is tied up in projects that are still in development and awaiting FID. The Pathways Alliance is the most prominent example, with its C$16.5 billion plan contingent on further government support. Similarly, projects from Woodside Energy, Holcim, and DT Midstream are advancing but have not yet secured the final financial green light. This gap between announced ambition and sanctioned projects highlights the financial and regulatory risks that still characterize the CCUS market.

Equinor’s FID Signal: What to Watch for in CCUS Policy in 2026

The most critical action for stakeholders in the CCUS space is to monitor the development and implementation of supportive government policy and subsidy frameworks. The divergence between projects reaching FID and those that are stalled demonstrates that technological readiness is no longer the primary bottleneck; financial and regulatory certainty is. If governments provide clear, long-term support, expect a wave of FIDs for mega-projects. If they don’t, these multi-billion-dollar plans will likely remain on the drawing board.

• The FID reached by Equinor for its UK projects in December 2024 is a direct result of securing government backing for the East Coast Cluster, providing a clear policy-to-project pathway.
• Conversely, the Pathways Alliance has explicitly stated its 2025 FID timeline is delayed and contingent on increased government investment and policy clarity, making it a key bellwether for Canadian industrial decarbonization policy.
• Occidental’s progress on its DAC hubs is heavily supported by a US$650 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, underscoring the reliance on public funding to de-risk first-of-a-kind commercial facilities.
• The FID for Phase 2 of Venture Global‘s CP 2 LNG project in March 2026, which includes a CCUS component, further signals that major energy projects are integrating carbon capture as a core element, provided the economic and regulatory conditions are favorable.

The questions your competitors are already asking

This report covers one angle of the gap between announced CCUS projects and those reaching Final Investment Decision. The questions that matter most depend on your work.

• What is actually happening with the Pathways Alliance C$16.5B CCUS network since the announcement?
• Occidental’s DAC Hub investments and funding. Are the projects on track to reach FID by 2026?
• Which companies are gaining ground by reaching FID on large-scale CCUS, and which are stalled by a lack of government support?
• What is the outlook for CCUS projects reaching Final Investment Decision in North America versus Europe by 2026?

This report does not answer these. Enki Brief Pro does.

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