Hello and welcome to The Carbon Loop — a newsletter by the CCUSNA dedicated to highlighting the Australian carbon capture, utilisation and storage industry.
Just sneaking it in before the end of the month!
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🌍 Global Dispatch: Financial Close, Policy Shifts, and CCS Momentum ..
Quite a bit of international news this month, so I’ve bundled the highlights into one segment:
🇬🇧 UK Progress: Eni and the UK Government have reached financial close on the Liverpool Bay CCS Project, part of the broader HyNet North West initiative. The project is expected to capture and store up to 10 million tonnes of CO₂ per year, supporting decarbonisation efforts across north-west England. (Read More)
🇬🇧 Political Spotlight in the UK: UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has reiterated his support for CCS technologies as part of a broader energy security and net-zero strategy, highlighting CCS’s importance ahead of the next election. (Read More)
🇳🇱 Dutch CCS Push: The Netherlands has officially backed the Aramis CCS Project with €639 million in funding, even as Shell and TotalEnergies step back from the transport infrastructure component. Despite the reshuffling, Aramis remains on track to become a major CO₂ storage hub by 2030. (Read More)
🇲🇾 Malaysia’s Big Legislative Step: Malaysia has passed the Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) Bill 2025, establishing a formal legal framework to support CCS project development and help drive the country’s net-zero ambitions. (Read More)
🇲🇾 Malaysia Offshore CCS Momentum: Meanwhile, Petronas is advancing its offshore CCS activities, kicking off pipeline route surveys for one of Southeast Asia’s most significant carbon storage initiatives. (Read More)
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☘️ Chlorophyll Counts as CCUS Too ..
There’s some disagreement in CCUS circles (yes, we have dinner parties and yes, they’re totally awesome) about whether bio-feedstock-derived liquid fuels constitute true CCUS technologies. Personally, my recollection of Year 9 science tells me that photosynthesis totally counts — and given how much we need success stories, I’m happy to say congratulations to the teams at Jet Zero Australia and Technip Energies for their decision to proceed with FEED on Project Ulysses, a bioethanol-to-sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) project based in Townsville, Australia.
Project Ulysses has secured $9 million from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and $5 million from the Queensland Government to undertake a Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) study for a commercial-scale alcohol-to-jet (ATJ) production facility.
The project aims to convert approximately 183 million litres of agricultural byproduct-based ethanol annually into 113 million litres of low-carbon liquid fuels — comprising 90% SAF and 10% renewable diesel — using LanzaJet ATJ technology. Operations are targeted to begin by late 2027.
When complete, the project is expected to reduce jet aircraft CO₂ emissions by over 70% compared to conventional fossil fuels, create around 1,000 construction jobs, and deliver 100 long-term operational roles, providing a major economic boost to regional Queensland.
Jet Zero Australia FEED Study for Project Ulysses
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⚔️ From Waterloo to Well Integrity: Bonaparte’s New Chapter ..
The Bonaparte CCS Joint Venture — comprising INPEX (53% and operator), TotalEnergies (26%), and Woodside Energy (21%) — has announced the commencement of preliminary front-end engineering design (pre-FEED) work for the Bonaparte Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Project.
Located approximately 260 kilometers offshore Darwin in the Bonaparte Basin, this development follows a successful appraisal program that included around 1,800 square kilometers of new 3D seismic surveying and the drilling of two CO₂ storage appraisal wells.
The appraisal confirmed the presence of a high-quality saline aquifer reservoir with thick sealing formations, deemed suitable for safe and permanent long-term carbon storage. The project aims to transport and store CO₂ offshore northern Australia, with a potential storage capacity exceeding 10 million tonnes per annum. The Ichthys Joint Venture is expected to be the anchor customer, with CO₂ injection targeted to commence around 2030.
This is great! More CCS reservoir options are great for the Australian CCUS industry. This project could be a significant step toward decarbonising northern Australia and the broader Indo-Pacific region.
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🌌 Northern Lights Project Enters Phase 2 ..
TotalEnergies, in partnership with Equinor and Shell, has announced the Final Investment Decision (FID) for the second phase of the Northern Lights CCS Project in Norway.
This expansion will increase the project’s CO₂ transport and storage capacity from 1.5 million to over 5 million tonnes per year by 2028.
The decision follows a 15-year commercial agreement with Stockholm Exergi to transport and store 900,000 tonnes of biogenic CO₂ annually, starting in 2028. Stockholm Exergi joins other partners like Heidelberg Materials, Celsio, Yara, and Ørsted.
We love Northern Lights, because cross-border transportation of CO₂ by ship is something Australia could do really well. A successful Northern Lights is good for Australia.
TotalEnergies and Partners Launch the Second Phase of Northern Lights CCS Project
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📅 Upcoming Events: CCUS and Green Finance Highlights ..
A selection of notable events this month:
🇪🇺 CCSA Webinar: The Missing Link – Shaping Europe’s CO₂ Transport Network — Scheduled for 7 May 2025, this webinar will delve into the regulatory and policy frameworks essential for accelerating the deployment of CO₂ transport infrastructure across the EU.
🇦🇺 Virtual Report Launch: Maximising Australia’s Green Growth — Join the Australian Sustainable Finance Institute (ASFI) for the launch of a new report exploring how Australia can leverage trade and climate finance policies to capitalise on green commodity exports and foster clean industry development.
🌏 The Future of Net Zero in Asia — Hosted by the Smart Energy Council, this event will bring together leaders in finance, policy, and industry to discuss the emerging trade and policy landscape shaping the future of green exports across Asia.
🇦🇺 Sustainable Finance for the Energy Transition with Nicole Yazbek-Martin — Nicole Yazbek-Martin from ASFI will discuss the critical role of sustainable finance in accelerating Australia’s transition to a decarbonised economy, highlighting the integration of policy and finance to catalyse sustainable change.
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