Published: 21 August 2026
Data snapshot: 20 August 2026
Data source: CaptureMap project-level database.
As of 20 August 2026, CaptureMap tracks 1,128 commercial-scale capture project phases across Europe, North America and APAC in this analysis: 487 in North America, 476 in Europe and 165 in APAC. Of these, 303 are classified as Operation, 62 as EPC and 763 as Feasibility. These project phases are referred to as projects throughout this article.The main conclusion is straightforward: there is no single carbon capture market leader. The answer changes depending on whether leadership means project numbers, operating maturity, project size, announced capacity, industry composition, timelines or geographic breadth. There’s widespread acknowledgement that we’ll need carbon capture and storage to reach our collective net-zero targets. Organizations such as the International Energy Agency, DNV, Clean Air Task Force, and Bellona are also clear that we’re not on track. Read on to understand how each region is advancing.
Executive summary
- North America has 487 commercial-scale capture project phases, compared with 476 in Europe and 165 in APAC.
- North America leads reported announced capture capacity at 276 Mtpa, compared with 155 Mtpa in Europe and 76 Mtpa in APAC.
- North America has the most mature project mix: 37% of projects are operational, compared with 28% in APAC and 16% in Europe.
- Europe has a particularly early-stage pipeline, with 79% of projects currently classified as Feasibility.
- Among projects with reported capacity, median project size is 0.50 Mtpa in North America, 0.30 Mtpa in APAC and 0.25 Mtpa in Europe.
- Among current European EPC or Feasibility projects reporting a start year, 2030 is the largest announced cohort, with 64 projects.
- Industry leadership changes depending on whether it is measured by number of projects or reported capture capacity.
How many carbon capture projects are there in Europe, North America and APAC?
CaptureMap identifies 1,128 commercial-scale project phases across the three regions under the methodology used here. North America has the largest total with 487, but Europe is only 11 projects behind at 476. APAC has 165.
| Metric | Europe | North America | APAC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial-scale capture projects | 476 | 487 | 165 |
| Reported announced capture capacity | 155 Mtpa | 276 Mtpa | 76 Mtpa |
| Median reported project capacity | 0.25 Mtpa | 0.50 Mtpa | 0.30 Mtpa |
| Operational projects | 75 | 182 | 46 |
| Projects in EPC | 26 | 21 | 15 |
| Feasibility-stage projects | 375 | 284 | 104 |
| Largest industry segment by project count | Waste management — 121 | Chemicals — 249 | Chemicals — 47 |
| Largest industry segment by reported capacity | Power and heat — 44 Mtpa | Power and heat — 121 Mtpa | Oil and gas extraction and processing — 20 Mtpa |
Source: CaptureMap project-level database. Snapshot: 20 August 2026. Population: commercial-scale project phases classified as Operation, EPC or Feasibility.
Source: CaptureMap project-level database. Snapshot: 20 August 2026. Population: 1,128 commercial-scale project phases classified as Operation, EPC or Feasibility. Missing capacity is excluded, not treated as zero.
Capacity is reported for 64% of included European projects, 48% of North American projects and 59% of APAC projects. The regional capacity totals therefore sum reported values only. Missing capacity is not treated as zero.
Want to explore the projects behind these numbers? CaptureMap lets users filter the project pipeline by country, industry, maturity, capacity, technology, companies and announced timelines.
How this carbon capture project comparison is defined
Comparisons of CCUS markets depend heavily on how projects, stages, regions and capacity are defined. The definitions below apply throughout this analysis.
What does “commercial-scale” mean?
CaptureMap does not apply an independent minimum capture-capacity threshold to define commercial scale.
A project is denoted Pilot/Demo where the project itself describes the project or project phase that way. For this analysis, the remaining projects — those not denoted Pilot/Demo — are treated as commercial-scale.
Pilot/Demo projects are excluded because they are typically smaller, frequently do not report annual capture capacity and may be designed for limited operating periods. Including them would skew statistics such as capacity coverage, median project size and regional maturity.
What counts as one project?
The underlying unit is a CaptureMap project phase. A single facility can have several capture phases at different stages of development. Each phase is counted separately where CaptureMap records it as a separate project phase.
For readability, the article refers to these commercial-scale project phases as “projects.”
Which project statuses are included?
The analysis includes three current CaptureMap engineering statuses:
- Operation: operational
- EPC: engineering, procurement and construction
- Feasibility: earlier-stage development
Projects classified as Hold, Inactive or Completed are excluded.
There is an important limitation to the Feasibility category. CaptureMap is working on an improved methodology to identify projects that are in reality on hold or cancelled but remain classified as Feasibility based on currently available information in the public domain.
Feasibility should therefore be understood as the project’s current CaptureMap classification, not confirmation that every project is actively advancing.
How is capture capacity calculated?
Reported announced capture capacity is the sum of available annual capture-capacity values for included project phases classified as Operation, EPC or Feasibility.
Projects without a reported capacity are excluded from capacity calculations. Missing values are never treated as zero.
Announced capture capacity is also not the same as operating capacity. A project can report a planned capacity while still being at Feasibility.
How are the regions defined?
- Europe = For this analysis, Europe includes projects located in 27 countries represented in the CaptureMap dataset: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, the Russian Federation, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
- North America =USA and Canada
- APAC = Eastern Asia, Southern Asia, South-eastern Asia and Oceania
Western Asia and Central Asia are not included in the APAC definition used here.
What does “industry segment” mean?
CaptureMap uses a hierarchical industry classification. This article uses the CaptureMap field Activity segment, referred to here as the project’s industry segment.
Which region has the most operational carbon capture projects?
North America has the most operational projects in the comparison, with 182. Europe has 75 and APAC has 46.
This means Europe and North America have almost identical overall project counts, but very different maturity profiles.
| Project maturity | Europe | North America | APAC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operation | 75 — 16% | 182 — 37% | 46 — 28% |
| EPC | 26 — 5% | 21 — 4% | 15 — 9% |
| Feasibility | 375 — 79% | 284 — 58% | 104 — 63% |
Source: CaptureMap project-level database. Snapshot: 20 August 2026. Population: 1,128 included commercial-scale project phases.
Source: CaptureMap project-level database. Snapshot: 20 August 2026. Population: 1,128 commercial-scale project phases. Pilot/Demo, Hold, Inactive and Completed projects are excluded.
North America has more than twice as many operational projects as Europe despite having only 11 more projects overall. APAC has the highest EPC share, at 9%.
Europe’s 79% Feasibility share is particularly important when interpreting its large pipeline. As explained in the methodology, some projects currently in Feasibility may subsequently be identified as on hold or cancelled.
For a more commercial view of European project maturity and supplier positioning, see CaptureMap’s analysis of which European carbon capture projects are still open to technology providers.
When will Europe’s carbon capture projects start operating? 2030 stands out
Among current commercial-scale European projects classified as EPC or Feasibility and reporting a start year, 2030 is the largest announced cohort, with 64 projects. North America has 7 projects stating 2030 and APAC has 13.
Europe’s stated timeline is notably concentrated toward the end of this decade.
| Announced start-of-operations year | Europe | North America | APAC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 29 | 19 | 3 |
| 2027 | 30 | 12 | 9 |
| 2028 | 23 | 19 | 9 |
| 2029 | 32 | 16 | 3 |
| 2030 | 64 | 7 | 13 |
| 2031 | 13 | 1 | 1 |
| 2032 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| 2033 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2034 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2035 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Source: CaptureMap project-level database. Snapshot: 20 August 2026. Population: current commercial-scale EPC and Feasibility projects with an announced start-of-operations year in 2026–2035.
Source: CaptureMap project-level database. Snapshot: 20 August 2026. Population: current commercial-scale EPC and Feasibility projects with an announced start-of-operations year. Announced dates are project schedules, not commissioning forecasts.
These dates should not be interpreted as a forecast of actual commissioning.
Start-year information is available for 61% of current European EPC and Feasibility projects, 43% in North America and 48% in APAC. Projects without a stated start year are not represented in the timeline.
There are also current EPC or Feasibility projects whose stated start years have already passed: 39 in Europe, 57 in North America and 18 in APAC have stated dates before 2026.
The chart therefore shows announced project timelines, not the number of projects CaptureMap predicts will actually start in each year.
For additional historical context, see CaptureMap’s earlier analysis of carbon capture project growth trends towards 2030.
Which region has the largest typical carbon capture projects?
Among projects with reported capture capacity, North America has the largest median project size at 0.50 Mtpa. APAC follows at 0.30 Mtpa and Europe at 0.25 Mtpa.
The difference is also visible at the upper end of the project-size distribution.
| Region | Median reported capacity | Mean reported capacity | Projects ≥2 Mtpa |
|---|---|---|---|
| Europe | 0.25 Mtpa | 0.51 Mtpa | 14 |
| North America | 0.50 Mtpa | 1.18 Mtpa | 45 |
| APAC | 0.30 Mtpa | 0.78 Mtpa | 11 |
Source: CaptureMap project-level database. Snapshot: 20 August 2026. Capacity statistics include only projects with reported capacity.
Among known-capacity projects, 19% in North America are at least 2 Mtpa, compared with 11% in APAC and 5% in Europe.
At the other end of the distribution, 27% of European projects with reported capacity are below 0.1 Mtpa, compared with 11% in North America.
Source: CaptureMap project-level database. Snapshot: 20 August 2026. Reported-capacity sample: Europe n=304, North America n=234, APAC n=98.
North America’s higher announced capacity is therefore not just a result of having slightly more projects. The reported data also shows a larger typical project-size profile.
Which region has the most announced carbon capture capacity?
North America has the largest reported announced capture capacity at 276 Mtpa, compared with 155 Mtpa in Europe and 76 Mtpa in APAC.
However, these figures describe announced project capacity, not capacity currently operating.
Most of the reported capacity in every region is associated with projects currently classified as Feasibility.
| Region | Reported announced capacity | Share attached to Feasibility projects |
|---|---|---|
| Europe | 155 Mtpa | 89% |
| North America | 276 Mtpa | 82% |
| APAC | 76 Mtpa | 65% |
Source: CaptureMap project-level database. Snapshot: 20 August 2026. Capacity includes reported values for projects classified as Operation, EPC or Feasibility.
This is why announced capacity should always be read together with project maturity. A feasibility-stage project, a project in EPC and an operating capture facility represent very different levels of delivery certainty.
Which industries have the most carbon capture projects?
The answer depends on whether the market is measured by project count or capture capacity.
In Europe, Waste management has the most projects, with 121, but Power and heat has the most reported announced capacity at 44 Mtpa.
In North America, Chemicals dominates project count with 249 projects, while Power and heat leads capacity at 121 Mtpa.
In APAC, Chemicals has the most projects at 47, while Oil and gas extraction and processing has the largest reported capacity at approximately 20 Mtpa.
Carbon capture projects and capacity by industry segment
| Industry segment | Europe projects | Europe capacity | North America projects | North America capacity | APAC projects | APAC capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chemicals | 97 | 34 Mtpa | 249 | 83 Mtpa | 47 | 13 Mtpa |
| Power and heat | 80 | 44 Mtpa | 62 | 121 Mtpa | 36 | 19 Mtpa |
| Waste management | 121 | 18 Mtpa | 13 | 1 Mtpa | 3 | 1 Mtpa |
| Oil and gas extraction and processing | 12 | 2 Mtpa | 90 | 35 Mtpa | 23 | 20 Mtpa |
| Non-metallic minerals | 82 | 37 Mtpa | 14 | 12 Mtpa | 14 | 2 Mtpa |
| Oil and gas, downstream | 32 | 10 Mtpa | 26 | 14 Mtpa | 27 | 19 Mtpa |
| Pulp and paper | 18 | 7 Mtpa | 11 | 5 Mtpa | 2 | n/a |
| Iron and steel and ferro-alloys | 17 | 1 Mtpa | 4 | 4 Mtpa | 8 | 2 Mtpa |
| Food | 9 | <1 Mtpa | 15 | <1 Mtpa | 1 | n/a |
| Non-ferrous metals | 8 | 2 Mtpa | 1 | <1 Mtpa | 1 | 1 Mtpa |
| Mining and quarrying | 0 | — | 2 | <1 Mtpa | 1 | n/a |
| Manufacturing | 0 | — | 0 | — | 1 | <1 Mtpa |
| Coal extraction and processing | 0 | — | 0 | — | 1 | <1 Mtpa |
Source: CaptureMap project-level database. Snapshot: 20 August 2026. Capacity values are reported announced capacity and rounded to the nearest Mtpa. <1 means positive reported capacity below 1 Mtpa; n/a means projects exist but no capacity is reported.
Source: CaptureMap project-level database. Snapshot: 20 August 2026. Population: included commercial-scale project phases. Industry segment corresponds to CaptureMap’s Activity segment classification.
Source: CaptureMap project-level database. Snapshot: 20 August 2026. Reported announced capacity only; projects without reported capacity are excluded and missing values are not treated as zero.
This industry comparison is a useful reminder that “largest carbon capture market” can mean very different things. Project count measures the breadth of development activity, while capacity gives more weight to large individual projects. Neither should be interpreted in isolation.
Readers looking for more background on technology categories can also explore CaptureMap’s guide to the four major carbon capture technologies.
Which countries drive each regional carbon capture market?
Europe has the broadest geographic footprint in this comparison. Its 476 projects are distributed across 27 countries.
The United Kingdom has 100 projects, or 21% of Europe’s total, and approximately 52 Mtpa of reported announced capacity. The three largest European countries by project count — the UK, Norway and Spain — account for 39% of the regional pipeline.
North America is much more concentrated. The United States has 415 of North America’s 487 projects, equivalent to 85% of the regional total. US projects also account for approximately 250 Mtpa, or 91% of North America’s reported announced capacity.
APAC includes projects across 16 countries. China is the largest national market, with 44 projects and approximately 33 Mtpa of reported capacity. China, Australia and Japan account for 55% of APAC projects, while China, Australia and Indonesia account for around 80% of reported APAC capacity.
What do the largest carbon capture projects tell us?
The largest project phases reinforce the regional differences, but none alone explains the regional totals.
Europe’s largest reported project phase in the dataset is Eemshaven Facility in the Netherlands at 8 Mtpa, currently classified as Feasibility.
North America’s largest is James H Miller Jr in the United States at approximately 19 Mtpa, also classified as Feasibility.
In APAC, the largest reported project phases are 4 Mtpa: Yulin Coal Liquefaction Power Station, Jinjie Power Station and Gorgon LNG Facility.
The ten largest project phases represent approximately 23% of Europe’s reported capacity, 29% of North America’s and 42% of APAC’s. APAC’s capacity picture is therefore more sensitive to a relatively small group of large projects.
So which region leads the carbon capture project market in 2026?
There is no single leader across every measure.
North America leads operating maturity, median project size and reported announced capacity. It has 182 operational projects and 276 Mtpa of reported announced capacity, but its regional picture is overwhelmingly driven by the United States.
Europe almost matches North America in project count and has a broad geographic pipeline. But 79% of its projects are currently classified as Feasibility, and a large share of its stated startup schedule clusters around 2030.
APAC has a smaller overall project pipeline but the highest EPC share at 9%, a different industry mix and greater concentration of reported capacity among its largest projects and countries.
The more useful question is therefore not “which region is winning?” but what type of market exposure matters for the decision being made?
For a technology supplier, project maturity and supplier status may be most important. For a transport or storage developer, location, capacity and announced timing may matter more. Investors and project developers may focus on maturity, concentration and development risk.
CaptureMap is designed to let users move from these regional statistics to the individual projects, companies and infrastructure behind them.
Key takeaways
- CaptureMap’s August 2026 analysis includes 1,128 commercial-scale capture project phases across Europe, North America and APAC.
- North America has 487 projects, Europe 476 and APAC 165.
- North America has 182 operational projects, more than twice Europe’s 75.
- Reported announced capture capacity is 276 Mtpa in North America, 155 Mtpa in Europe and 76 Mtpa in APAC.
- North America has the largest median reported project size at 0.50 Mtpa.
- Europe’s current EPC and Feasibility pipeline has a pronounced announced 2030 cohort, with 64 projects stating that year.
- Industry rankings change depending on whether project count or announced capacity is used.
- Regional statistics can mask strong national concentration, particularly in North America.
What this means for CCUS market participants
Capture technology providers
Project counts are useful for market sizing, but maturity and timing are more useful for identifying commercial opportunities. CaptureMap can be used to distinguish projects already operating or in EPC from earlier-stage projects where technology and supplier choices may still be developing.
Transport and storage developers
Capture volume is only useful if its geography, timing and maturity align with infrastructure development. Readers interested in that side of the value chain can also explore CaptureMap’s analysis of European CO₂ storage projects, capacity and timelines.
Investors and project developers
Regional league tables are a starting point, not the conclusion. Project maturity, announced schedules, project size, industry exposure and geographic concentration provide a more complete picture of market development.
Policymakers and industry organizations
A large announced project pipeline should not be interpreted as equivalent to projects under construction or in operation. Tracking how projects progress between stages — and whether announced timelines move — is important for understanding real deployment.
Data limitations and methodology
This analysis uses a CaptureMap project-level dataset snapshot dated 20 August 2026.
Each commercial-scale project phase is treated as one project. Multiple capture phases can therefore exist at one facility.
Pilot/Demo projects are excluded. CaptureMap does not apply a separate capacity threshold to classify commercial projects for this analysis.
Projects classified as Hold, Inactive or Completed are excluded.
CaptureMap is improving its methodology for identifying projects that are on hold or cancelled. Some projects currently classified as Feasibility may subsequently move to another status.
Capacity is reported for 64% of included European projects, 48% of North American projects and 59% of APAC projects. Missing capacity is excluded rather than treated as zero.
Announced capacity is not the same as operating capacity.
The timeline analysis uses announced start-of-operations years for current commercial-scale EPC and Feasibility projects. Coverage is 61% in Europe, 43% in North America and 48% in APAC.
Announced start dates are project schedules, not CaptureMap forecasts of actual commissioning.
Project classifications, reported capacities and timelines can change as new information becomes available.
Frequently asked questions
How many commercial-scale carbon capture projects are there in Europe?
As of 20 August 2026, this CaptureMap analysis includes 476 commercial-scale capture project phases in Europe, referred to as projects in the article. Of these, 75 are classified as Operation, 26 as EPC and 375 as Feasibility. Pilot/Demo, Hold, Inactive and Completed projects are excluded.
How many carbon capture projects are there in North America?
As of 20 August 2026, this analysis includes 487 commercial-scale capture project phases in North America. Of these, 182 are classified as Operation, 21 as EPC and 284 as Feasibility.
How many carbon capture projects are there in APAC?
As of 20 August 2026, this analysis includes 165 commercial-scale capture project phases in APAC. APAC is defined here as Eastern Asia, Southern Asia, South-eastern Asia and Oceania. Western Asia and Central Asia are excluded.
How many carbon capture projects are included across the three regions?
CaptureMap’s 20 August 2026 dataset includes 1,128 commercial-scale capture project phases across Europe, North America and APAC under this analysis. The total comprises 303 projects classified as Operation, 62 as EPC and 763 as Feasibility.
Which region has the most announced carbon capture capacity?
North America has the most reported announced capture capacity at 276 Mtpa, compared with 155 Mtpa in Europe and 76 Mtpa in APAC. These totals include reported capacity from projects classified as Operation, EPC or Feasibility and do not estimate capacity where it is missing.
Which region has the most operational carbon capture projects?
North America has the most operational projects, with 182 as of 20 August 2026. Europe has 75 and APAC has 46 under the same methodology.
When are Europe’s planned carbon capture projects expected to start operating?
Among current commercial-scale European projects classified as EPC or Feasibility and reporting a start year, 2030 is the largest announced cohort, with 64 projects. These are announced project schedules, not forecasts of actual commissioning. Start-year coverage for the European EPC and Feasibility pipeline is 61%.
Which region has the largest typical carbon capture projects?
Among projects with reported annual capture capacity, North America has the largest median project size at approximately 0.50 Mtpa. APAC’s median is 0.30 Mtpa and Europe’s is 0.25 Mtpa.
Which country has the most carbon capture projects?
Within the three regions analysed, the United States has the most included project phases, with 415. The US accounts for approximately 85% of North America’s 487 projects.
What is the largest industry for carbon capture projects?
It depends on the metric. By project count, Waste management leads Europe while Chemicals leads North America and APAC. By reported announced capacity, Power and heat leads Europe and North America, while Oil and gas extraction and processing has the highest reported total in APAC.
About this analysis
This analysis was produced by Endrava, the team behind CaptureMap, using CaptureMap’s bottom-up project-level CCUS dataset.
CaptureMap structures and tracks industrial emissions, capture projects, technologies and transport and storage infrastructure to help CCUS teams turn fragmented public information into market intelligence they can act on.
The statistics in this article are generated from CaptureMap’s underlying dataset — they are not commentary on a third-party project database.
Explore the carbon capture projects behind the statistics
The tables above show the regional picture. CaptureMap lets you go further — down to individual facilities, project phases, companies, technologies, industries, capacities, maturity and announced timelines.
For teams using CCUS market intelligence for business development, strategy, investment or infrastructure planning, see CaptureMap in action.
