Sinopec has joined forces with Kazakh state organizations to advance CO2 capture technologies through a new international initiative aimed at strengthening technical cooperation and scaling CCUS deployment globally.
Unveiled at the CCUS 2026 International Technology Conference in Astana, the proposal connects industrial experience with academic research to establish unified technical standards and business models.
Sinopec is leading the initiative alongside the International Cooperation Organisation for Technological Innovation in CCUS (ICTO), the Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan, and Nazarbayev University.
The conference brought together over 230 representatives from more than 20 countries, including delegates from China, Kazakhstan, the UK, the US, and Canada, to discuss geological storage, CO2 mineralization, and shared regional hubs.
Scaling Infrastructure and Multi-Industry Clusters
Beyond policy and research, Sinopec is expanding its physical carbon management footprint. The company previously constructed China’s first 100-kilometer dense-phase CO2 pipeline, built to transport high volumes of carbon under continuous pressure.
The pipeline supports China’s first integrated CCUS demonstration project, which operates at an annual capacity of one million metric tons across capture, transport, and permanent geological storage.
Building on these operational assets, Sinopec is currently partnering with Shell, BASF, and China Baowu to study the development of China’s first open-access CCUS cluster. Target initial capacity for the shared network is set at 10 million metric tons of CO2 annually.
Relevant: Beijing Launches Global CCUS Innovation Alliance Led By Sinopec
By allowing neighboring industrial emitters to share central transport and storage infrastructure, the joint venture aims to significantly reduce capital expenditure and lower deployment barriers across the region. In parallel, Sinopec is preparing a second one-million-tonne demonstration facility at the Shengli oil field, specifically designed to capture low-concentration CO2 streams.
“Carbon capture, utilization, and storage has become an important technology for addressing emissions reduction,” said Tian Hongbin, Vice President of Sinopec Group.
“Sinopec plans to continue collaborating with ICTO and its members to link engineering projects with international research, advancing CO2 capture and geological storage technologies while expanding technical cooperation between countries.”
Read more: IPCC Authors To Advance First Draft On The 2027 CDR And CCUS Methodology Report
