The Carbon Capture and Storage Readiness Index: Is the World Ready for Carbon Capture and Storage

The Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Readiness Index (CCS-RI) identifies those nations which are leaders in the creation of an enabling environment for the commercial deployment of CCS, known as CCS Readiness. The progress of CCS deployment is tracked through a series of targeted ‘indicators' that consider a country’s:
• Inherent CCS interest
• Policy developments
• Legal and regulatory frameworks
• Geological CO2 storage development.

The 2018 CCS-RI examined over 50 countries using 70 discrete criteria to create an overall score for each nation, enabling a comparative assessment of countries globally. The results found that only five countries rank in the Index’s highest category taking significant steps to reduce domestic barriers to CCS. Overwhelmingly, the majority of nations examined are not ready for the wide-scale deployment of CCS. In most instances, low national scores are a result of weaker policy settings, but not always. The outcomes of the CCS-RI will be discussed including identifying those barriers to deployment and discussing those nations that are well-advanced and primed to deploy over the coming decade.