What is the real market size of the CCUS market?

The CCUS market is scaling rapidly as governments and industry push to decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors.

Operational capacity is still modest at around 51 million tons per year, but hundreds of projects are in the pipeline.

Infrastructure buildout for transport and storage hubs is accelerating, driving significant capital deployment.

And if you want to better understand this new industry, you can download our pitch covering the CCUS market.

How do we define the CCUS market?

We define the CCUS market as the set of products and services that enable capturing CO₂, conditioning it, moving it, and then either using it or storing it to prevent atmospheric release.

We include CO₂ capture from point sources and direct air, compression and conditioning equipment, CO₂ transport infrastructure and services, utilization pathways, and geological storage including monitoring and verification directly tied to storage or durable utilization.

We exclude general decarbonization advisory, corporate carbon accounting not tied to specific CCUS projects, trading of carbon credits as a standalone activity, and CO₂ uses that are primarily for short-lived consumption without durable storage.

We also use this definition when we make and update our pitch covering everything there is to know about the CCUS market

What is the size of the CCUS market in 2026?

What results can we find on the internet?

As you probably know already, many firms regularly publish sometimes conflicting estimates of the CCUS market size, using different definitions, scopes, and years.

We have consolidated their results here. We will use it, among other things, to derive a single, reasonable estimate of the CCUS market size.

Company	Market Size (USD)	Year	Market Definition vs Ours
MarketsandMarkets	$3.6B	2023	Covers CCUS market broadly but likely misses some pipeline and storage network capital expenditures. Closer to vendor revenue view than full system spend.
Grand View Research	$3.681B	2024	Focuses on carbon capture and storage only, narrower than our CCUS definition. Excludes most utilization pathways and broader conditioning and transport services.
Global Market Insights	$8.6B	2024	Labels this as carbon capture and storage market with more services included. Still not covering full chain CCUS infrastructure as we define it.
Allied Market Research	$3.0B	2022	Explicitly covers CCUS market by service including capture, transport, utilization, and storage. Year is slightly older than our target window but definition aligns well.
Allied Market Research	$3.7B	2024	Covers capture and sequestration only, which is narrower than our definition. Excludes most utilization pathways and some conditioning and transport services.
Precedence Research	$7.31B	2024	Focuses on carbon capture and storage with likely gaps in utilization coverage. Probably narrower than our CCUS definition on conditioning and transport scope.
IMARC Group	$2.97B	2024	Covers carbon capture and storage market only, narrower than our CCUS scope. Especially limited on utilization pathways and network buildout infrastructure.
Persistence Market Research	$2.7B	2023	Labels this as CCUS market which matches our naming well. May still undercount large infrastructure capital expenditures and owner operator spending.
MarkNtel Advisors	$4.3B	2024	Focuses on carbon capture and storage, narrower than our definition. Misses utilization and some conditioning plus monitoring and verification scope.
Business Research Insights	$4.96B	2026	Provides CCUS market estimate with explicit 2026 value matching our target year. Coverage details are unclear so treat as directional datapoint.
Emergen Research	$7.8B	2024	Headlines this as CCUS market value which aligns with our definition. Methodology is less transparent so use cautiously versus higher quality sources.

What can we conclude, then?

Most market research estimates for the CCUS market cluster between $3 billion and $9 billion for 2023-2024, but these numbers often represent vendor revenue rather than total system spend including infrastructure buildout.

Our definition is broader than many CCS-only reports because we include conditioning, transport infrastructure and services, utilization pathways, and storage monitoring and verification, so our estimate for the CCUS market in 2026 should sit above the typical market research range but this is our first estimate and we will refine it further with bottom-up analysis.

What if we try to make our own estimate?

We don't have to rely only on external analyses to estimate the CCUS market size.

We will try to build a first-principles, bottom-up calculation, then run a few sanity checks to see whether we can reliably estimate the size of the CCUS market.

Useful data about the CCUS market

Here is some useful and reliable data we have collected, they will help us estimate the size of the CCUS market:

• Operational CCS facilities have roughly 51 million tons per year of CO₂ capture capacity globally (Carbon Capture Journal)
• The CCS project pipeline totals approximately 628 projects across all development stages worldwide (Global CCS Institute)
• Installed capture capacity is on track to double to over 100 million tons per year once projects under construction start operating (Global CCS Institute)
• Current CO₂ capture cost varies strongly by sector and approach according to IEA data and charts (IEA)
• Indicative onshore CO₂ pipeline transport unit costs are compiled in IEA reference charts and data (IEA)
• Geologic storage cost ranges from roughly $1 to $18 per ton of CO₂ stored (Carbon180)
• Norway's Northern Lights phase one capacity is approximately 1.5 million tons per year for storage services (Reuters)
• Northern Lights phase two expansion involves roughly 7.5 billion Norwegian kroner or about $744 million in capital expenditure (Reuters)
• A major CCS project example targets approximately 9 million tons per year for capture and storage operations (Reuters)
• NETL provides an open-source model for CO₂ pipeline transport costs and infrastructure planning (NETL)

Method and calculation to get the size of the CCUS market

We start with operating CCUS activity in 2026, which means roughly 51 million tons of annual capture capacity that is already running.

We assume about 50 million tons will actually be captured and handled through the full chain in 2026.

For the full chain value per ton, we need to include capture service and equipment operations and maintenance, compression and conditioning, transport service, and storage service plus monitoring.

Using IEA and other public ranges as guidance, a reasonable blended full chain value today is approximately $70 per ton.

This gives us operating chain value of 50 million tons multiplied by roughly $70 per ton, which equals approximately $3.5 billion.

Next we add new build spend happening during 2026, which includes networks and hubs and large projects under construction.

The Global CCS Institute shows a large pipeline and meaningful under construction activity globally.

If the world spends roughly $6 billion to $9 billion in 2026 on CCUS capital expenditures and build activities, that would cover capture units, compressors, pipelines, wells, and monitoring systems.

This is consistent with multi-year projects like Northern Lights and other hubs costing hundreds of millions to billions, plus multiple large developments globally targeting multi-million ton per year capacity.

Adding operating value of $3.5 billion and build value of $8.5 billion as a midpoint, we get total CCUS market size in 2026 of approximately $12 billion.

This also explains why CCS market reports can look smaller, as many are not counting infrastructure build and full chain services the same way.

Sanity checks

Let's verify this estimate makes sense (we always double-check everything, as you will see in our pitch deck covering the CCUS market).

If we captured approximately 50 million tons in 2026 and the total CCUS market were only $3 billion, that would imply roughly $60 per ton for everything with almost no build spend, which feels too low given known hub capital expenditure examples.

Many market research numbers for 2023-2024 range from $3 billion to $9 billion depending on scope, and from 2024 to 2026 it is reasonable that build activity and services push a broader full chain figure toward the low teens for the CCUS market.

A pipeline of hundreds of projects and a push toward over 100 million tons per year once under construction projects complete suggests real capital is being deployed, and if annual global spend were only a few billion it would be hard to reconcile with that scale of physical buildout.

What's our final guess then?

Based on everything above, we estimate the CCUS market is worth approximately $12 billion in 2026.

This sits above many CCS market vendor revenue estimates because we add more of the chain including transport networks and storage hubs, but below a total announced long-term investment framing because investment is multi-year and not all spent in 2026.

To put this in perspective, the CCUS market in 2026 is roughly similar in size to the global cybersecurity hardware market at around $12 billion or the smart home devices market at approximately $13 billion.

The reasonable range for the CCUS market in 2026 is $8 billion to $16 billion with $12 billion as our point estimate.

This estimate accounts for both operating revenue from existing capacity handling roughly 50 million tons per year and capital expenditure on new infrastructure including pipelines, storage wells, capture units, and monitoring systems.

Is the CCUS market mature, competitive, fragmented?

The maturity score of the CCUS market in 2026 is 35/100

The CCUS market is not mature because operational capacity is still only tens of millions of tons per year while climate scenarios require far more.

Many projects in the CCUS market are still in planning stages, and hubs are being designed, permitted, and financed rather than operational at scale.

The competitiveness score of the CCUS market in 2026 is 70/100

The CCUS market is highly competitive because many capture technologies compete including solvents, membranes, oxy-fuel, and other approaches.

Transport and storage hubs in the CCUS market also compete on access, permitting timelines, and cost of capital for infrastructure development.

The fragmentation score of the CCUS market in 2026 is 60/100

The CCUS market is moderately fragmented because capture solutions have many vendors and sector-specific technologies.

However, transport and storage in the CCUS market can become more concentrated as hub operators and regulated networks emerge with higher capital requirements.

How much bigger will the CCUS market be in 10 years?

What are the different forecasts for the growth rate of CCUS market?

One more time, let's check what other market research firms have to say.

Company	Annual Growth Rate	Until Year	How We'll Use It
MarketsandMarkets	24.0%	2030	This is a high growth vendor view for the CCUS market. We will haircut this estimate if it misses infrastructure timing or execution challenges. Use as optimistic anchor for short-term growth.
Persistence Market Research	13.2%	2030	This represents a more conservative trajectory for the CCUS market. We will use this as a lower anchor for realistic growth scenarios. Likely accounts for permitting and execution delays.
Mordor Intelligence	14.21%	2030	This provides a good mid-case benchmark for the CCUS market. Note their CCS scope is narrower than ours so actual may be higher. Useful for moderate growth scenario.
Grand View Research	7.0%	2033	This is very conservative versus others for the CCUS market. Might reflect narrow definition and slower adoption assumptions or longer time horizon. Use as worst-case floor.
Global Market Insights	16%	2034	This is useful for longer horizon CCUS market growth. Still CCS scope so we add utilization upside separately. Moderate growth over extended period.
Precedence Research	21.37%	2034	This represents an aggressive growth case for the CCUS market. We treat this as closer to best case for our broader definition. Assumes fast infrastructure deployment.
IMARC Group	8.05%	2033	This is a conservative anchor for the CCUS market. Likely reflects narrower scope and slower infrastructure rollout assumptions. Use for downside scenario.
MarkNtel Advisors	24%	2030	This is very bullish short-horizon growth for the CCUS market. We would adjust down if it double-counts or overstates pace. Use cautiously for optimistic case.
Business Research Insights	14.2%	2035	This is mid-range and includes a 2026 base matching our year. Use as a realistic check for the CCUS market. Aligns well with our timeline.
SNS Insider	24.08%	2032	This is bullish for the CCUS market. Use only as upside reference since methodology transparency varies. Treat with caution for base case.
Allied Market Research	13.3%	2032	This is moderate growth for the CCUS market. Note their base year is earlier than our 2026 base so adjust for timeline. Use as realistic anchor.
Global CCS Institute	Doubling signal	Mid-term	This provides a reality check on growth pace for the CCUS market. It supports fast growth if projects deliver on schedule. Use as capacity benchmark.

What can we conclude about the growth rate of the CCUS market?

Based on everything above, we estimate the CCUS market will grow at approximately 18% annually from 2026 to 2036.

This growth rate sits above conservative CCS-only forecasts of 7% to 13% because our definition includes infrastructure and utilization growth, but below the most bullish forecasts of 24% or more as execution, finance, and permitting slowdowns are real.

Using 18% annual growth from our 2026 base of $12 billion, the CCUS market should be approximately 1.94 times larger in 2030, reaching roughly $23.3 billion.

By 2036, the CCUS market should be approximately 5.23 times larger, reaching roughly $62.8 billion.

This growth trajectory for the CCUS market is similar to early scaling infrastructure markets experiencing fast buildouts and comparable to other policy-enabled transition markets when they leave pilot stage.

And if you're curious about what's happening in this really interesting market, we publish a quarterly update on the activity in the CCUS market here. We also have a monthly update here.

What is the projected CAGR for the CCUS market?

At New Market Pitch, we like it when the information is clear and easy to digest, as you will see in the pitch about the CCUS market. That's also why we have made this clear summary table.

Year	Worst Case (10% annual growth rate)	Realistic (18% annual growth rate)	Best Case (25% annual growth rate)
2027	$13.2B	$14.2B	$15.0B
2028	$14.5B	$16.7B	$18.8B
2029	$16.0B	$19.7B	$23.4B
2030	$17.6B	$23.3B	$29.3B
2031	$19.3B	$27.5B	$36.6B
2032	$21.3B	$32.4B	$45.8B
2033	$23.4B	$38.2B	$57.2B
2034	$25.7B	$45.1B	$71.5B
2035	$28.3B	$53.2B	$89.4B
2036	$31.1B	$62.8B	$111.8B

What would it take for the CCUS market to be worth $111.8 billion?

To reach $111.8 billion by 2036, the CCUS market would need to sustain approximately 25% annual growth for a decade, which requires several critical developments beyond current trends.

Storage hubs would need to become standard infrastructure similar to waste management, with predictable permitting and long-term liability frameworks in major regions making the CCUS market reliable for project finance.

Transport networks for the CCUS market must scale rapidly with multiple shared pipelines and ship corridors reaching high utilization, which drives costs down sharply as throughput increases and fixed infrastructure costs get spread across more tonnes.

Demand for CCUS services must shift from voluntary to compliance driven, meaning carbon prices or standards make CCUS mandatory for parts of cement, steel, refining, and chemicals rather than optional sustainability initiatives.

Long-dated policy support needs to reduce financing costs in the CCUS market by providing revenue certainty for 10 to 20 year project payback periods that infrastructure investors require.

Execution in the CCUS market must improve dramatically with repeatable project templates, modular capture units, and faster engineering procurement and construction delivery timelines to reduce the first-of-a-kind premiums that plague projects today.

The CCUS market would need to see breakthrough cost reductions in capture technology, potentially through learning curves similar to solar panels, bringing costs below $50 per ton for most industrial applications.

Geographic expansion for the CCUS market is essential, particularly rapid buildout in Asia where heavy industry concentration is highest and current CCUS deployment is still early stage compared to Europe and North America.

Where is the money in the CCUS market?

What are the categories and how much do they generate?

In 2026, capture technologies including point source and direct air capture represent approximately 55% of CCUS market revenue because capture is still the most expensive and customized part of the value chain.

Compression and conditioning equipment accounts for roughly 10% of the CCUS market as this stage is relatively standardized compared to capture technologies.

Transport infrastructure and services including pipelines and shipping represent approximately 12% of CCUS market revenue in 2026, with this share expected to grow as shared networks scale.

Utilization pathways where CO₂ is durably stored in products account for about 8% of the CCUS market as this remains an emerging category.

Geological storage plus monitoring and verification tied to storage represents approximately 15% of CCUS market revenue, reflecting both injection operations and the compliance and verification systems required.

Finally, if you really want to understand where is the money, you can check our ranking of the most funded startups in the CCUS market as well as our list of the most valued startups.

How will it evolve?

By 2030, capture's share in the CCUS market will likely decline to approximately 48% as costs per ton fall and other segments scale faster.

Transport will grow to roughly 16% of the CCUS market by 2030 and storage plus monitoring and verification will reach about 18% as hub infrastructure becomes operational at scale.

By 2036, capture will represent approximately 40% of CCUS market revenue while transport infrastructure grows to roughly 20% and storage plus monitoring and verification reaches about 22%.

This shift reflects transport and storage becoming bigger shares in the CCUS market as hubs scale and more tonnes move through networks, while capture costs per ton continue declining with technology improvements.

Where to spend your energy as an investor or a builder in the CCUS market then?

For the biggest inevitable pools of value in the CCUS market, focus on transport and storage hubs including pipelines, shipping terminals, injection sites, and storage services.

These become bottlenecks in the CCUS market and can look like infrastructure businesses with regulated returns or long-term contracts.

For the fastest scaling product businesses in the CCUS market, prioritize standardized capture packages for repeatable industrial sites in cement, lime, and chemicals sectors.

Monitoring and verification tooling tightly linked to storage compliance also offers strong growth as these data systems, sensors, and workflows become mandatory in the CCUS market.

For optionality upside in the CCUS market, consider durable utilization where CO₂ is locked in products for long periods through mineralization or materials applications.

Direct air capture plus storage represents another high-uncertainty but potentially high-reward area in the CCUS market as the carbon removal segment matures over the next decade.

And if you're curious about where investors are putting their money right now, we publish a quarterly update on the fundraising activity in the CCUS market here. We also analyze long-term funding trends in the CCUS market here.

What is the geographical revenue breakdown for the CCUS market?

North America

North America represents approximately 45% of the CCUS market in 2026 due to early regulatory frameworks like 45Q tax credits and established oil and gas infrastructure that can be repurposed.

By 2030, North America's share will likely decline to roughly 38% as other regions accelerate, and by 2036 it may represent about 30% as Asia overtakes it with faster industrial decarbonization mandates driving CCUS deployment.

Europe

Europe accounts for approximately 25% of the CCUS market in 2026 driven by strong climate policy and projects like Northern Lights demonstrating storage hub models.

By 2030, Europe will hold roughly 23% of the CCUS market as growth continues but at a slower pace than Asia, and by 2036 it may represent about 20% as its early-mover advantage diminishes relative to larger industrial bases elsewhere.

Asia

Asia represents approximately 20% of the CCUS market in 2026 despite having the largest industrial CO₂ emissions because permitting frameworks and storage site characterization remain early stage.

By 2030, Asia will grow to roughly 28% of the CCUS market as China, Japan, and other countries accelerate hub development, and by 2036 it will likely reach about 40% as industrial decarbonization requirements and storage infrastructure reach scale.

Middle East

The Middle East accounts for approximately 5% of the CCUS market in 2026 with major projects in the UAE and Saudi Arabia leveraging oil and gas sector expertise.

By 2030 and 2036, the Middle East will hold roughly 6% of the CCUS market as growth continues but remains limited by the relatively smaller industrial base compared to other major regions.

Latin America, Oceania, and Africa

Latin America represents approximately 3% of the CCUS market in 2026, Oceania about 1%, and Africa about 1% due to limited policy frameworks and early-stage project pipelines.

By 2030, Latin America will hold roughly 3%, Oceania 1%, and Africa 1% of the CCUS market, and by 2036 these shares will likely be Latin America 2%, Oceania 1%, and Africa 1% as growth remains concentrated in larger industrial economies with stronger policy support.

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