Is carbon capture dead?

Five Killer Charts

Good morning – here are your five chart for the day. Each one comes snap stat, quick take and why it matters. Skim, steal, forward (but always credit!!).

CHART 1 • US carbon-capture permits tumble after policy U-turn

Q1 applications for carbon storage wells fell 50% year-on-year, the worst showing since 2022. None were approved.

Blame a tangle of policy shifts. The US Energy Department just cancelled $3.7 billion in clean-energy grants, while a key $85-per-tonne tax credit remains too small for many projects. Transferability limits post-2027 could sideline smaller developers entirely.

Permitting delays add pain. EPA approvals now average 30 months, half a year behind target, pushing states from West Virginia to Texas to seek their own authority.

With 152 million tonnes of planned capacity, analysts expect over a third to be scrapped. If America stalls, rivals like Canada and the Gulf may seize leadership in this “critical” climate technology.

Snap stat – Carbon-capture well filings fell 50% year-on-year in Q1 2025

Quick take – Quarterly approvals dropped from three to zero as developers hit pause

Why it matters – The slowdown risks pushing capital to rival jurisdictions just as carbon fees rise

Steal-this-caption – “US carbon-capture permits halved and approvals flatlined – investors smell policy risk.” #FiveChartsDaily

Source: Financial Times

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