Carbon Capture Investment Landscape 2026
A review of capital flows into point-source and direct air capture projects, policy support mechanisms, and the maturing voluntary carbon removal credit market.
Announced Capacity
185 Mtpa
Capital Is Concentrating in High-Purity Industrial Capture
Point-source capture investment continues to concentrate in high-purity industrial sources, ethanol fermentation, natural gas processing, and ammonia production, where lower capture costs support faster paths to positive project economics than more dilute industrial sources such as cement or steel production, which require greater policy support to reach comparable investment attractiveness.
The Voluntary Removal Credit Market Is Maturing, Unevenly
Voluntary carbon removal credit buyers are increasingly differentiating between durable removal, geological storage with long-term monitoring, and shorter-duration or reversible removal pathways, with durable removal credits commanding a substantial price premium that is beginning to meaningfully improve DAC and point-source-with-storage project economics relative to nature-based alternatives.
Mtpa CO2
Illustrative announced global capture capacity by source category across tracked projects.