Routing India towards Net Zero: Optimal Planning of the CCS Infrastructure

Given its size, growing population, and emerging economy, India's energy choices are critically important for mitigating global climate change. The country's increasing energy consumption, heavily reliant on coal, raises concerns about its ability to achieve its net-zero target by 2070. Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technologies offer a potential solution to reduce emissions from coal-fired power plants. However, the size, cost, and feasibility of CCS deployment in India remain largely unexplored. This paper addresses this gap by introducing a cost-minimizing Mixed Integer Linear Program (MILP) model for CCS deployment in India. The model incorporates detailed carbon capture investment, pipeline routing, and onshore and offshore storage investments. To examine the implications of CCS adoption, we analyze four scenarios that reflect alternative policy mandates, storage restrictions, and capture targets. Our results reveal several important findings. First, India's optimal CO2 pipeline network is characterized by local infrastructures concentrated around storage basins rather than forming a nationally integrated network. Second, a significant portion of emissions is transported along an eastern transportation 'backbone' in all modeled scenarios.