CO2CRC Future Program 2026-35
Partnering for a CCS-Ready AustraliaAs Australia navigates the energy transition, Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is a critical enabler for our economic prosperity and national decarbonisation goals, including Australia’s legislated 2035 and 2050 targets. CCS is a suite of proven technologies, of which geological storage is a critical component.
It is a foundation for negative emission technologies such as Bio Energy and DAC with CCS, as well as clean hydrogen, cement, steel, coal and LNG to meet emerging global emission standards.
The National Imperative
The Opportunities
CO2CRC aims to deliver an Australia-led, globally relevant and cutting-edge CO2 Future R&D Program (2026–35).
Anchored by the Otway International Test Centre (OITC), this program builds confidence in subsurface CO2 behaviour, reduces costs and liabilities, and enables multi-project hubs through a national R&D effort. We are seeking partners across industry and research, in Australia and worldwide, to collaborate with CO2CRC to develop and validate CCS technologies and turn them into faster approvals and scalable solutions (including BECCS and DAC). We also invite technology developers, operators and researchers to use the OITC for field trials that generate regulator-ready evidence, reduce uncertainty and accelerate commercial uptake.
Integrated CCS for Australian Industries
Australia holds a unique natural advantage in CCS that is directly aligned with our economic strengths and legislated decarbonisation goals. This enables us to support partners across the entire resource value chain, from natural gas and coal to steel, cement, fertiliser, chemicals, and hydrogen, by providing access to world-class geological storage capacity. Integrated CCS creates new decarbonisation pathways for these industries, particularly for hard-to-abate sectors, while underpinning the development of certified low-emissions exports such as LNG, hydrogen, and ammonia.
Proximity-Enabled Infrastructure Advantage
With world-class geological storage close to major industrial and export hubs, Australia can deliver cost-effective CO2 geological storage across industries while also positioning itself as a regional leader in CO2 storage services, generating long-term revenue and ensuring our exports remain competitive in a decarbonising global market.
National Emissions Reduction Opportunity
Through CO2CRC’s applied R&D, linked to the OITC, Australia can boost economic activity by over A$100 billion and unlock up to A$600 billion in storage hub revenues with regional leadership. These hubs support the Future Made in Australia agenda by anchoring clean industries, strengthening manufacturing supply chains, and creating regional jobs. They also enable BECCS and DAC, positioning Australia to lead in negative emissions technologies.
A Strategic Investment in Australia’s Future
CO2CRC’s Future Research Program 2026-2035 is a direct and necessary response to Australia’s legislated climate commitments and economic priorities. It is about providing the proven, practical tools required to secure our nation’s prosperity through the energy transition.
CCS is an essential component of an effective set of solutions for Australia to meet its 2035 and 2050 targets, particularly for safeguard facilities. By investing in this research, Australia can de-risk the pathway to Net Zero, protect the revenue stemming from our critical export industries, and build the sovereign capability to meet Paris Agreement commitments and the Climate Change Act.
ENABLING THE SAFEGUARD MECHANISM
The Safeguard Mechanism is the Australian Government’s primary policy for reducing emissions from our largest industrial facilities. It effectively mandates that new gas fields with reservoir CO₂ must deploy CCS to achieve a net-zero emissions baseline. Our Future Research Program directly enables compliance with this policy by delivering the validated, cost-effective storage and monitoring technologies that industry needs to meet these stringent requirements and invest with confidence.
SECURING THE FUTURE GAS STRATEGY
The Future Gas Strategy makes it clear that natural gas and LNG will remain critical to Australia’s economy and the energy security of our Asia-Pacific partners. But their emissions intensity must fall. CO2CRC’s research provides the proven pathway to achieve this at scale, keeping LNG competitive and enabling secure, low-emissions exports such as hydrogen and ammonia to a carbon-conscious global market.
MEETING INTERNATIONAL OBLIGATIONS
Australia’s international obligations under the London Protocol have opened the door for the nation to become a regional leader in providing CO₂ storage services. Our research program builds the technical and regulatory confidence needed to unlock this opportunity by investing in this capability, we can support the decarbonisation efforts of our trading partners and create new, long-term export revenue streams for the nation.
BUILDING SOVEREIGN CAPABILITY
A successful energy transition requires a highly skilled workforce and sovereign control over critical technologies. For over 20 years, CO2CRC has been the backbone of Australia’s CCS expertise, training the professionals who now lead the industry globally. Our Future Research Program will reinvest in that legacy, rebuilding the postgraduate training pipeline and ensuring Australia has the expert workforce required to safely manage a national CCS rollout, independent of foreign expertise.
Three strategic pillars
(THEME 1–3)
Objective: Deliver confidence in plume behaviour, containment, and safe injection, while driving down monitoring costs.
Strategic Driver: Commercial CCS projects need validation that CO₂ behaviour is predictable, well-managed, and monitoring is affordable.
National Imperative: This applied research will provide confidence in project approvals, build public and regulator trust, and accelerate CCS project rollout at scale to support Australia’s pathway to net zero.
- Validated plume predictive capability using real field (OITC) datasets.
- Provide clear attribution of geomechanical changes to risk, removing unnecessary conservatism.
- Develop cost-effective alternatives such as marine vibroseis, gravity, and fibre optics.
(THEME 4–5)
Objective: Enable cost-effective national CCS hubs by coordinating multiple storage opportunities and safely reusing existing infrastructure.
Strategic Driver: Large-scale CCS demands regional planning and smarter use of existing wells and pipelines to cut capital costs.
National Imperative: CO2CRC’s outcomes will maximise Australia’s storage resource, cut costs through reuse, and enable Australian hubs for LNG, hydrogen, ammonia, plus emerging BECCS and DAC.
- Model basin-scale interactions to plan multiple projects.
- Optimise storage fairways to expand capacity.
- Cut costs by reusing pipelines & wells instead of building new.
(THEME 6–8)
Objective: Lower costs, prove economic value, and equip Australia with the skills and tools for national rollout.
Strategic Driver: CCS must show it can deliver at scale—competitively, transparently, and with a skilled workforce.
National Imperative: This work will build Australia’s sovereign capability, create new jobs and industries, and position Australia as a trusted, contemporary CCS leader in the Asia–Pacific region.
- Apply AI & digital twins for predictive, accelerated evaluation of storage sites and model conformance.
- Identify cost-saving pathways & highlight jobs/export benefits.
- Build skills & public trust via an OITC training hub.
Partnering with CO2CRC
CO2CRC is currently developing the business case for its Future Research Strategy 2026- 2035. To ensure this program is built on a strong foundation of collaboration, we are actively seeking partners between September 2025 and January 2026. Your commitment is critical to our success, as it will provide the powerful, unified support needed for our proposal to secure long-term co-investment from the Commonwealth Government in early 2026.
Key Partnership Benefits
CO2CRC’s collaborative model brings together the world’s leading experts from industry, research, and government to solve the critical challenges of commercial-scale CCS. By partnering with us, you join a powerful network dedicated to de-risking decarbonisation investments and shaping the future of Australia’s low-emissions economy.
Leverage Your Investment
Participate in high-impact, applied research programs designed to accelerate CCS innovation, with opportunities to co-invest and secure additional funding from other partners.
Access World-Class Infrastructure
Gain preferential access to the globally unique A$200 million Otway International Test Centre for proprietary and collaborative research, technology trials, and workforce training.
Join Collaborative Network
Join a powerful network of industry leaders, government agencies, and global research institutions to shape the national research agenda , tackle realworld CCS challenges and advance industry-ready solutions.
Gain Preferential IP Access
Receive a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to use Company-owned IP generated from research projects for internal purposes and get the first opportunity to participate in the commercialisation of new technologies.
Begin the Conversation Today
Contact us to schedule a confidential, no-obligation discussion on how your organisation can participate in our high-impact, high-value future program and help build a CCS-Ready Australia.
Email: futureprogram@co2crc.com.au
Phone: +61 3 8595 9600