India Launches First-Ever R&D Roadmap for Carbon Capture to Support Net Zero Goals

India has released its first Research and Development Roadmap on Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) to accelerate progress toward the country’s Net Zero emissions target by 2070. The roadmap, developed by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), was unveiled on December 2 by Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India.

Speaking at the launch, Prof. Sood described the roadmap as a critical guide that will strengthen coordinated national action on climate innovation. He said the framework would accelerate technology deployment, mobilize investments, and support India’s transition to a low-carbon future. He added that the initiative reinforces India’s global climate leadership and aligns with the government’s long-term development vision under Viksit Bharat@2047.

DST Secretary Prof. Abhay Karandikar highlighted the department’s leadership in advancing CCUS research and fostering national and global collaborations. He said the roadmap balances the commercialization of existing technologies with support for next-generation breakthroughs. He noted that the framework emphasizes the need for a supportive ecosystem, including skilled workforce development, regulatory standards, and shared infrastructure.

Karandikar also stated that the roadmap will be implemented in alignment with initiatives such as the ₹1 lakh crore Research, Development & Innovation (RDI) scheme, which aims to strengthen private-sector-led decarbonization efforts.

The roadmap positions CCUS as a core technology for reducing emissions from hard-to-abate industries such as power generation, cement, and steel—sectors identified as essential to India’s industrial growth yet difficult to decarbonize using alternate energy pathways.

Over the past seven years, DST has invested in translational research and established CCUS test beds in real industrial environments through public-private partnership models. The roadmap consolidates this experience and inputs from a High-Level Task Force to outline thematic priorities, financial models, and implementation pathways.

During the launch event, Dr. Ashish Lele, Chair of the task force and Director of CSIR-NCL Pune, emphasized the importance of accelerating CCUS deployment at scale. DST officials Dr. Anita Gupta and Dr. Neelima Alam presented technical details, including multilateral and bilateral collaborations and the establishment of India’s first three National Centers of Excellence in CCUS.

The event witnessed participation from Indian and international researchers, academia, government agencies, industry stakeholders from energy-intensive sectors, and representatives from embassies and multilateral organizations.