CCUS Top 10 Projects: Pathways Alliance C$16.5 B deal, 6 FIDs, and 10 major projects (2025-2026)

Based on developments from January 2025 through April 2026, the Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) sector is undergoing a strategic consolidation towards large-scale, capital-intensive industrial hubs. This shift is almost entirely catalyzed by government policy and direct public funding, which are now essential preconditions for de-risking multi-billion-dollar private investments. The dominant trend is the move away from isolated, single-facility projects towards shared infrastructure models designed to create economies of scale. Key examples driving this trend include Canada’s proposed C$16.5 Billion Pathways Alliance project and the U.S. Department of Energy’s over $3.5 Billion program to develop Direct Air Capture (DAC) and carbon management hubs.

1. Pathways Alliance Oil Sands Project

Company: Pathways Alliance (Consortium)
Installation Capacity: 10-12 MTPA (Phase 1)
Applications: Decarbonizing oil sands production
Source: World’s biggest carbon capture project could ‘essentially drain …

2. U.S. Carbon Management & DAC Hubs Program

Company: U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
Installation Capacity: Multiple projects targeting at least 25, 000 metric tons/year each
Applications: Large-scale Direct Air Capture (DAC) and carbon management project development
Source: DOE announces over $3.5 billion in carbon management funding …

3. ADNOC Habshan CCUS Project

Company: Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC)
Installation Capacity: Part of a 5 MTPA capture capacity target by 2030
Applications: Decarbonization of the energy sector
Source: Abu Dhabi’s Clean Energy Paradox: $150 Billion in Capital, Not

4. UK CCUS Clusters (Track-1)

Company: Multiple industrial partners
Installation Capacity: East Coast Cluster up to 17 MTPA; Hy Net North West at industrial scale
Applications: Creating integrated industrial decarbonization hubs
Source: UK carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) – GOV.UK

5. China Huaneng CCUS Project

Company: China Huaneng
Installation Capacity: 1.5 MTPA
Applications: Carbon capture for a coal-fired power generation facility
Source: [PDF] China’s impressive strides towards carbon capture, utilisation and …

6. Illinois Gas-Fired Power Plant with CCS

Company: TBD Developer; Google (as offtaker)
Installation Capacity: 400 MW power capacity
Applications: Gas-fired power generation with integrated carbon capture
Source: Google carbon capture deal paves way for greener gas plants

7. Occidental’s Stratos DAC Facility

Company: Occidental Petroleum
Installation Capacity: 0.5 MTPA (initial phase)
Applications: Commercial-scale Direct Air Capture (DAC)
Source: [PDF] Global Gas Report 2025 – Snam

8. Polaris at Genesee Energy Campus

Company: Capital Power
Installation Capacity: Industrial-scale
Applications: Energy campus decarbonization
Source: [PDF] Capital Power

9. Padeswood Cement Plant CCUS

Company: Heidelberg Materials
Installation Capacity: 0.8 MTPA
Applications: Carbon capture for cement manufacturing
Source: [PDF] Summary Business Case for Padeswood Carbon Capture Usage …

10. Ashdown Pulp Mill CCS Project

Company: Delta Midstream (developer), Svante (technology)
Installation Capacity: First-of-a-kind for the industry
Applications: Carbon capture for the pulp and paper industry
Source: Svante Selected for US DOE funding for pulp carbon capture

Table: Top 10 CCUS Projects by Scale and Strategic Importance (2025-2026)

1.5 MTPA, China Huaneng’s Post-Combustion Capture for Coal

The diversity of applications highlights CCUS’s expanding role as a versatile decarbonization tool. Projects are targeting a wide range of sectors, from traditional oil and gas operations at Pathways Alliance and ADNOC to coal-fired power with China Huaneng’s massive 1.5 MTPA facility. Crucially, CCUS is being deployed in hard-to-abate sectors where few other options exist, such as Heidelberg Materials’ Padeswood cement plant and the first-of-a-kind project in the pulp and paper industry at Ashdown Mill. This demonstrates a strategic shift toward applying the technology across the industrial spectrum, enabled by the hub model which allows disparate industries to share the costs of CO₂ transport and storage infrastructure.

North America vs. Europe, A Tale of Two CCUS Hub Strategies

Geographically, North America and Europe are leading the charge, but with distinct strategic approaches. North America, particularly Canada with its C$16.5 Billion Pathways Alliance, is focused on mega-projects designed to decarbonize its significant fossil fuel industry. The U.S. is fostering a broader ecosystem through the DOE’s $3.5 Billion program, aiming to catalyze private investment in both point-source capture and Direct Air Capture. In contrast, Europe, led by the UK’s Track-1 clusters like Hy Net North West, is prioritizing the creation of integrated industrial zones where multiple industries can plug into shared CO₂ networks. Meanwhile, state-led initiatives in the Middle East (ADNOC) and China (China Huaneng) show that national energy companies and central planning are also powerful drivers for deploying CCUS at a massive scale.

CCUS Hubs, Occidental’s Stratos and 6 European FIDs

These developments signal a market maturing beyond pilot projects. Post-combustion capture is now a commercially viable technology being scaled up for heavy industry. The primary challenge has shifted from technological feasibility to financial structuring, with the Final Investment Decision (FID) being the critical bottleneck. As of May 2025, only six CCUS projects had reached FID within European hub frameworks, a small fraction of the announced pipeline. The most significant test for next-generation technology will be the operational launch of Occidental’s Stratos facility, the first commercial-scale Direct Air Capture plant. Its success or failure will heavily influence future investment in DAC technology and its role in the broader CCUS landscape.

Pathways Alliance C$16.5 B Project Progress (2026)

The single most critical strategic action for the CCUS sector through 2026 will be the successful conversion of announced mega-projects into bankable assets that have reached a Final Investment Decision. The ability to translate multi-billion-dollar proposals into constructed reality hinges on solidifying the partnership between public funding and private execution.

• Signal Gaining Traction: Government-backed financing models are becoming the standard. The direct engagement between the Canadian government and the Pathways Alliance consortium, along with the U.S. DOE’s explicit funding to “buy down” risk, shows that public capital is now viewed as the essential catalyst for private investment. Watch for binding government funding agreements as the primary trigger for FIDs on these large-scale hubs.
• Signal Gaining Traction: Corporate offtake agreements are emerging as a key tool for bankability. Google’s agreement in October 2025 to purchase power from a gas plant equipped with CCS provides a predictable, long-term revenue stream that underpins project financing. Watch for more large corporations to sign similar purchase agreements for carbon-abated products like low-carbon cement, steel, or hydrogen.
• Signal Losing Steam: Standalone project development is becoming increasingly difficult. The fact that only six projects in Europe have reached FID by mid-2025, all within larger hub strategies, suggests that projects lacking either government backing or integration into a shared infrastructure network will struggle to secure capital. Watch for smaller, independent projects to be either delayed or absorbed into larger regional decarbonization plans.

The questions your competitors are already asking

This report covers one angle of the capital-intensive deployment of large-scale CCUS projects. The questions that matter most depend on your work.

• What is the status of the C$16.5B Pathways Alliance project since its announcement?
• Which of the top 10 CCUS projects have reached Final Investment Decision (FID) and which are at risk of delay?
• What is the investment outlook for U.S. Direct Air Capture (DAC) hubs through 2030?
• Which companies are leading the development of large-scale CCUS hubs in North America and the Middle East?

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

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