Making CO2 an Ally: The Road to Harnessing Carbon Capture Technologies in East Africa

East Africa’s climate landscape indicates a drastic change in climate patterns due to the effects of global warming. In response to the severity of the situation, the 2015 Paris Agreement was adopted by world leaders to ensure net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050, aiming to minimise the rise in the Earth's temperature to 1-2 °C, with all member states of the East African Community being parties to this agreement.

While East Africa’s contribution to global emissions, along with the rest of Africa, is less than 4%, the region’s energy and industrial footprint is set to grow. With expanding regional economies and energy opportunities, such as Uganda’s preparations for first oil in 2026, energy demand is rising, and industrialisation is accelerating. Integrating sustainable technologies at this early stage presents an opportunity to avoid future high-emission pathways, support green industrialisation, and position the region as a responsible energy producer.

This would require the implementation of various technologies to significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and one of those is a suite of technologies known as Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) technologies. CCUS technologies have the potential to rewrite the climate narrative of East Africa in terms of climate and environmental governance, but these technologies remain largely untapped. This article explores the complexities that come with ensuring the successful implementation of CCUS technologies in East Africa.

Definition of CCUS technologies

CCUS technologies refer to a collection of technologies implemented to capture, utilise, or store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or from large point sources such as cement manufacturing plants in order to reduce its quantity and effects on the earth's climate.

The various set-ups used to achieve this include Direct Air Capture (DAC), a process whereby carbon dioxide is captured by drawing in air using fans and passing it through an environment consisting of solid sorbents or liquid solvents. 

Pre-combustion methods involve converting the fuel into a gas mixture consisting of hydrogen and carbon dioxide before it is burnt. Once the carbon dioxide is separated, the remaining hydrogen-rich mixture can be used as fuel, while oxy-fuel technology involves burning a fuel with almost pure oxygen to produce carbon dioxide and steam, with the released carbon dioxide subsequently captured.

Globally, countries like Norway, Canada, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates are leading in CCUS deployment, with projects linked to both power generation and industrial decarbonisation.

Regional Overview

While an emerging concept in East Africa, CCUS technologies are gaining significant momentum, primarily driven by the global demand for carbon credits that can help finance regional projects. Due to the region’s favourable geology, such as potential underground storage sites along the East African Rift Valley system, and the potential for lower project costs, it is a promising location for this technology compared to other parts of the world. 

Potential application areas include cement and manufacturing industries that account for 8% of global emissions and are considered to be one of the largest carbon dioxide emitters, and can actually be considered as large point sources for  CCUS projects, such as the Hima Cement manufacturing plant in Uganda, therefore significantly reducing emissions. Another area of application is the oil, gas, and geothermal energy sectors – Projects like the EACOP (East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline) and Kenya’s Olkaria geothermal complex could integrate CCUS in processes that could be considered as high carbon dioxide emitters such as release of free carbon dioxide from the geological formations or from the energy supplied to the operations, to lower the environmental impact of these projects. In line with strengthening emerging carbon markets, CCUS could complement nature-based solutions like reforestation in meeting voluntary and compliance-based carbon market demands for the region.

This early progress is being supported by a few forward-looking countries, with the pace-setter being Kenya, which has started to create the necessary regulatory frameworks to guide future development in the country’s involvement in carbon markets, as well as the progress of a Direct Air Capture project in the Kenyan Rift Valley run by RepAir and Cella companies.

Regional Opportunities

Natural Geological Storage Potential

The East African Rift System features sedimentary basins and volcanic structures with promising CO₂ storage potential. The basalts in the Kenyan arm of the rift have been identified as an ideal location for carbon dioxide sequestration due to various factors, including the adequate basalt volumes, the abundance of fractures with high permeability, availability of water, and proximity to the CO2 production areas, and only gives us a glimpse into the potential of CCUS in the rest of the rift valley. Depleted and future oil and gas fields in Uganda’s Albertine Graben and Tanzania’s coastal basins, as well, could also serve as secure storage sites.

Renewable Energy Integration

As greener sources of energy are taken into global consideration, geothermal energy plants such as the Menengai geothermal project in Kenya or the Buranga geothermal project in Uganda can provide heat and energy for carbon dioxide capture processes, creating synergies for low-carbon power production.

Carbon Markets and Financing

East Africa could attract more green investment and international climate finance through voluntary carbon markets and Article 6 mechanisms of the Paris Agreement for countries to achieve their climate targets. Early adoption positions the region to monetise emission reductions, providing an economic incentive for CCUS deployment.

Knowledge and Job Creation

Developing CCUS will require expertise in geoscience, engineering, and environmental monitoring, creating high-skill jobs and opportunities for local research institutions and East African citizens while taking advantage of the already attained knowledge from existing fields such as oil and gas in the region. 

Challenges and Risks

Technical and Infrastructure Limitations

High costs involved in CCUS implementation, together with the lack of local expertise and the absence of pilot projects, remain significant hurdles in developing the region’s CCUS potential. Without template projects for the local context as well as subsidies, convincing various stakeholders to invest or set up the appropriate infrastructure slows the momentum for CCUS becoming a stable reality in East Africa.

Policy and Regulatory Gaps

While countries in the region are showing increasing interest in carbon markets and CCUS, specific regulations or laws directly addressing these technologies are still emerging, which may indirectly impact the technologies’ implementation, as it presents a volatile investment environment and would sway potential investors and other stakeholders against CCUS and mark it as a great risk with no dividends.

Environmental and Social Considerations

These technologies require rigorous environmental and social impact assessments to be carried out throughout their lifetime as they pose risks that include carbon dioxide leaks from the reservoirs, earthquake offsets as well as the high energy intensity of the operations, calling for great investment in carrying out satisfactory assessments as well as in mitigating the risks. They would also require intentional engagement with various stakeholders so as to dispel any concerns held by the local community where the projects are being set up and ensure a positive attitude which may slow down the overall setup and implementation of the project which might be viewed as a disincentive.

Ethical Debate

Criticism towards CCUS includes doubt over its effectiveness given the magnitude of the climate crisis or delaying true emission reductions as well as being used to justify further fossil fuel development, all which can cause apprehension towards investing in the technology.

Contention could arise from the displacement of persons to set up the CCUS facilities as observed in Barendrecht, Netherlands where locals in 2010 were against the set-up of the CCUS over concerns of safety and property values in the area, raising a question on how sustainable the operations would be given the increasing need of land for human settlement with population growth.

Way forward

Policy Development

There is a need for East African governments to craft national CCUS strategies – integrating them into their energy transition plans and providing conducive legal environments through policy and law development for safe CCUS operations, as well as creating a favourable investment environment.

Research and Innovation

Collaboration between local and international universities as well as energy companies, can create grounds for technology and knowledge transfer, while upskilling the local population in preparation to take on the regional CCUS projects to ensure East Africa can manage and lead its own CCUS projects in the long run, ensuring their success in the local context.

Pilot Projects and Partnerships

Initiatives with global CCUS leaders such as Norway and the United Kingdom could accelerate capacity building and facilitate technology transfer through the setup of exchange programs for local talent, the setup of co-operated pilot CCUS projects between as well as receive funding in order to facilitate the development of these technologies in the region.

Conclusion

For East Africa, CCUS represents a strategic tool that can bridge the gap between sustainable economic growth and climate responsibility. With the right policies, investments, and collaborations, the region can harness CCUS to become a leader in sustainable energy development and industrialisation. Now is the time for governments, researchers, and development partners to lay the foundation for a future where East Africa grows, innovates, and decarbonises responsibly.