The Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI) has unveiled an online CO2 Storage Licence Tracker, a tool designed to centralize and visualize data on carbon dioxide storage permits across key markets, including the UK, US, and Norway.
The tracker consolidates publicly available information from national authorities, allowing users to monitor and compare the pace of permitting for both exploration licenses (which allow site assessment) and exploitation licenses (which authorize injection and long-term storage).
The new OGCI platform aims to provide governments, developers, and investors with a clearer view of progress in established carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) markets, helping identify where momentum is building and where bottlenecks persist.
OGCI says the tracker will support faster deployment of CCUS hubs by improving transparency and coordination between stakeholders.
Tracking Progress in Global Carbon Storage
The tool launches alongside OGCI’s latest progress report, which highlights that member companies are advancing more than 40 CCUS hubs worldwide.
Notable developments include Eni’s Ravenna CCS project in Italy, which has begun CO2 injection, and Northern Lights in Norway now ready to receive CO2 from industrial emitters.
Collectively, these initiatives could capture over 300 million metric tons of CO2 annually by 2030, though experts caution that large-scale, permanent storage remains in early stages.
Relevant: OGCI Launches New Tool To Assess Economic Impact Of CCUS
Persistent challenges include fragmented regulations, insufficient infrastructure investment, and the need for clear policy frameworks to de-risk projects.
Industry experts, including DNV’s Blair McMaster and Linde Engineering’s Tomáš Suchý, emphasize that pragmatic policy design and well-calibrated incentives are vital to unlocking CCUS growth across Europe and beyond.
Read more: The Risks And Rewards of CO2 Storage: New Report Finds Leakage Threats Are Manageable
