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31 min ago 3 min read
Chinese state-owned oil, gas, and chemical giant Sinopec has joined international partners in launching a new initiative aimed at strengthening cooperation on carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) technologies and standards.
The Initiative for Cooperation on Low-Carbon Energy Development was launched during the 2026 International CCUS Technology Conference in Astana, Kazakhstan, held on September 1 and 2.
Sinopec is working with the International CCUS Technology Innovation Cooperation Organization (ICTO), Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Energy and Nazarbayev University’s Institute of New Materials and Energy Technologies on the initiative.
The initiative will focus on international collaboration on CCUS technologies and standards, as well as greater exchange of expertise across the sector.
More than 230 participants from dozens of countries and regions attended the conference, with discussions covering carbon dioxide (CO2) capture, geological storage, CO2 mineralisation and CCUS hub development.
Participants also examined the policy frameworks, business models and international partnerships needed to support wider CCUS deployment.
Sinopec Vice President Tian Hongbin said CCUS was becoming an important technology for global climate action, adding that the company would continue supporting ICTO as a network for international CCUS expertise.
Sinopec has developed several large-scale CCUS projects in China, including the country’s first 100-kilometre dense-phase CO2 pipeline and an integrated CCUS demonstration project with an annual capacity of one million tonnes.
The company is also working with Shell, BASF and China Baowu on a joint study for an open-access CCUS cluster at the 10-million-tonne scale.
Separately, Sinopec is preparing a one million tonne demonstration project at Shengli Oilfield focused on lower-concentration CO2 sources.
The projects cover CO2 capture from different source concentrations, alongside enhanced oil recovery and geological storage.
Established in July 2025, ICTO has 60 founding members comprising companies, research institutions and experts from more than 20 countries and regions.
Sinopec said it would continue working with ICTO members to connect engineering experience with international research and support the development and application of CCUS technologies.
China announced in August plans to expand its national emissions trading scheme to cover petrochemicals and chemicals. The move brings roughly 80% of national CO2 emissions under regulation.
The country’s chemical and petrochemical industry generates around 11% to 13% of the nation’s total CO2 emissions. According to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, just 30 dominant production processes create nearly 80% of the sector’s total emissions.
