Top 10 CCUS Projects: Pathways Alliance C$16.5 B, Holcim 50+ Projects (2025-2026)

Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) is transitioning from pilot stages to commercially significant deployments, with 2025-2026 marking a pivotal period for projects moving into construction and formal regulatory review. The primary driver is the validation of the business case for CCUS through landmark corporate partnerships and substantial government support, particularly in hard-to-abate sectors. Key developments underscoring this trend include the Pathways Alliance C$16.5 billion foundational project in Canada, Holcim’s global portfolio of over 50 CCUS initiatives, and a first-of-its-kind power purchase agreement by Google for a CCUS-equipped gas plant. The dominant theme for 2025 is the shift from planning to execution, as major industrial players and power generators commit to large-scale capital investments to achieve decarbonization goals.

1. Pathways Alliance (Canada)

Company: Pathways Alliance (Canadian Natural Resources, Cenovus Energy, Conoco Phillips Canada, Imperial, MEG Energy, Suncor Energy)
Capacity/Scale: 10-12 million tonnes of CO₂ per year (Mtpa) by 2030
Application: Decarbonizing over 20 oil sands facilities via a 400-km CO₂ pipeline and storage hub.
Source: User request context

2. Google-backed Power Plant (Illinois, USA)

Company: Unnamed operator with Google as offtaker
Capacity/Scale: 400 MW power generation
Application: Providing low-carbon electricity for data centers, with Google purchasing power and carbon credits.
Source: Google carbon capture deal paves way for greener gas plants, Google Commits to First U.S. Gas-Fired Power Plant with Integrated …

3. Capital Power (Genesee Generating Station, Canada)

Company: Capital Power
Capacity/Scale: 512 MW new capacity with capture of up to 95% of CO₂
Application: Repowering a major power station with natural gas and CCUS.
Source: Annual Information Form Capital Power Corporation

4. U.S. Steel (USA)

Company: U.S. Steel
Capacity/Scale: Not specified
Application: A $150 million project to convert captured CO₂ into value-added chemicals.
Source: User request context

5. Holcim (Global)

Company: Holcim
Capacity/Scale: Over 5 Mtpa of CO₂ capture by 2030 across a portfolio of 50+ projects.
Application: Decarbonizing cement production facilities worldwide.
Source: User request context, The energy transition in 2025: Taking stock of progress | Mc Kinsey

6. UK Blue Hydrogen Initiative (Cavendish Project)

Company: Various operators under UK government strategy
Capacity/Scale: 700 MW of blue hydrogen production by 2026 (Cavendish Project example).
Application: Producing blue hydrogen from natural gas with integrated CCUS.
Source: U.K.’s Hydrogen Strategy to Raise $5.5 Billion in Project Investm…

7. NTPC Limited (India)

Company: NTPC Limited
Capacity/Scale: Not specified
Application: A carbon capture project at a major power utility as part of national decarbonization efforts.
Source: NTPC carbon capture project achieves key milestone with …

8. China Huaneng Group (China)

Company: China Huaneng Group
Capacity/Scale: Contributes to China’s national goal of 51 Mtpa capture capacity from projects under construction.
Application: Large-scale CCUS deployment across a portfolio of power generation assets.
Source: China’s impressive strides towards carbon capture, utilisation and …

9. First Full-Scale Cement CCUS Plant

Company: Unnamed Operator
Capacity/Scale: Full-scale, implying nearly 1 Mtpa capture capacity.
Application: The world’s first full-scale CCUS plant at a cement facility.
Source: The energy transition in 2025: Taking stock of progress | Mc Kinsey

10. Rolls-Royce / ASCO CO₂ (Worksop, UK)

Company: Rolls-Royce / ASCO CO₂
Capacity/Scale: 10 MW gas engine power plant
Application: Modular and scalable CCUS for smaller industrial or power applications.
Source: Flexible, modular carbon capture gas power plants – mtu Solutions

Table: Top 10 CCUS Projects (2025-2026)

CCUS Adoption: Holcim’s 50+ Projects Signal Shift in Cement and Steel

The range of industries represented in these top projects demonstrates that CCUS is becoming an essential decarbonization lever beyond its traditional oil and gas applications. The most significant trend is its adoption in hard-to-abate sectors like cement and steel. Holcim’s ambitious plan to deploy over 50 projects globally and the expected launch of the world’s first full-scale cement CCUS plant in 2025 mark a critical turning point for the industry. Similarly, U.S. Steel’s $150 million plan to create chemicals from captured carbon shows a strategic evolution from viewing CO₂ as waste to a valuable feedstock. This diversification into power generation (Capital Power, NTPC), hydrogen (UK Blue Hydrogen Initiative), and even data center supply (Google) confirms that CCUS is establishing itself as a versatile tool across the industrial economy.

North America vs. China: Pathways Alliance Leads in Scale, China Leads in Volume

Geographically, two distinct strategic approaches to CCUS deployment are emerging. North America, led by Canada and the U.S., is prioritizing massive, foundational projects designed to create entire decarbonization ecosystems. The C$16.5 billion Pathways Alliance project is the prime example, aiming to build infrastructure to support over 20 facilities. The Google-backed plant in the U.S. and Capital Power’s Genesee station follow a similar model of large, capital-intensive deployments. In contrast, China is pursuing a strategy of rapid, high-volume deployment. With 44 CCUS projects already under construction by late 2025, state-owned enterprises like China Huaneng Group are focused on building operational experience and scaling the technology quickly across numerous sites. This parallel progress indicates a global acceleration, with different regions tailoring their CCUS strategies to their industrial and policy contexts.

$150 M Project: U.S. Steel’s Shift to Carbon-to-Chemicals Utilization

The projects advancing in 2025-2026 reveal a maturing technology landscape with multiple viable pathways. Large-scale, post-combustion capture is now a bankable technology for natural gas power plants and industrial facilities, as evidenced by the Capital Power and Pathways Alliance projects. The imminent operation of a full-scale cement CCUS plant signifies that the technology is ready for commercial rollout in one of the most challenging sectors. At the other end of the spectrum, the Rolls-Royce / ASCO CO₂ project demonstrates a move toward modular, flexible systems suitable for smaller emitters, expanding the addressable market. Perhaps the most forward-looking development is the growing emphasis on the “U” in CCUS. U.S. Steel’s investment in carbon-to-chemicals transforms an environmental liability into a potential revenue stream, pointing toward a future where circular economy principles are integrated into industrial decarbonization.

Google’s 400 MW Deal Signals New CCUS Demand from Data Centers (2025-2026)

The single most critical factor for accelerating CCUS project approvals and Final Investment Decisions (FIDs) through 2026 will be the ability to secure long-term offtake agreements from credit-worthy, non-traditional buyers, especially within the technology sector. The recent data provides strong signals that this trend is already underway.

• Google’s landmark power purchase agreement in late 2025 for a 400 MW CCUS-equipped gas plant establishes a powerful, replicable model for the data center industry’s intense demand for reliable, low-carbon power.
• The emphasis on “dispatchable” low-carbon power highlights a crucial energy market gap that intermittent renewables cannot fill alone, creating a new premium demand segment that CCUS is uniquely positioned to serve.
• If other hyperscalers and major tech firms follow Google’s lead to secure their power supply, expect a surge in new CCUS gas plant proposals in early 2026, particularly in regions with high concentrations of data centers like Virginia, Texas, and Arizona.

The questions your competitors are already asking

This report covers one angle of CCUS commercial deployment in the heavy industry sector. The questions that matter most depend on your work.

• What is actually happening with the Pathways Alliance foundational project since the C$16.5B announcement?
• Holcim’s activities in cement decarbonization. Are its 50+ CCUS projects progressing from pilot to construction?
• Which cement, steel, and oil sands operators are moving to the construction phase with their CCUS projects?

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

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