Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS)
As CCUS projects scale worldwide, reliable transportation infrastructure is essential to connect industrial emissions sources with permanent storage sites. Vallourec helps project developers address challenges through high-performance seamless line pipe solutions to ensure safe CO2 transport.
Enabling safe and reliable CO₂ infrastructure from source to storage
As industries accelerate their decarbonization efforts, Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) is becoming a critical solution for reducing emissions from hard-to-abate sectors such as steel, cement, chemicals, refining and power generation.
Capturing CO₂ is only the beginning. Moving millions of tons of CO₂ safely from emission sources to permanent storage sites requires a robust infrastructure capable of handling demanding operating conditions over decades.
Leveraging decades of expertise in premium steel tubular solutions, Vallourec supports CCUS projects across the value chain with high-performance solutions for CO₂ transportation and geological storage.
Why CCUS Is Critical for Industrial Decarbonization
Achieving net-zero objectives will require more than renewable energy and electrification. Many industrial processes inherently generate CO₂ emissions that cannot be eliminated through energy substitution alone.
CCUS enables these industries to significantly reduce their carbon footprint by capturing emissions at the source and permanently storing them underground.
To make CCUS projects viable at scale, operators need infrastructure that ensures:
- Safe CO₂ transportation over long distances
- Long-term integrity of injection wells
- Resistance to corrosion and complex CO₂ environments
- Reliable performance over the entire project lifecycle
- Compliance with increasingly stringent regulations
Why CO₂ Infrastructure Is Challenging
Transporting and storing CO₂ present unique technical challenges that require specialized materials and engineering expertise to ensure long-term integrity.
Managing impurities and corrosion
Captured CO₂ is rarely pure. Depending on the capture process and source, the stream may contain impurities such as water, oxygen, hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), sulfur oxides (SOx) or nitrogen compounds. Even in small concentrations, these impurities can alter the fluid behavior and increase corrosion risks, placing greater demands on material selection and asset design.
Maintaining Integrity Under High Pressure
To optimize transport and storage efficiency, CO₂ is typically handled in dense or supercritical phases under elevated pressure. Pipelines, injection wells and tubular connections must withstand these conditions while maintaining mechanical integrity and safe confinement over decades of operation.
Ensuring Long-Term Storage
Unlike oil and gas production assets, CO₂ storage projects are designed around permanent containment. Operators must demonstrate that injected CO₂ remains securely confined within geological formations throughout the operational and post-closure phases. This places exceptional importance on well integrity, connection reliability and barrier performance.
Meeting Regulatory Requirements
As governments strengthen decarbonization policies and storage regulations, developers must demonstrate the safety, reliability and traceability of their infrastructure. This requires technologies with proven performance, robust quality assurance and a strong track record in critical energy applications.
Supporting the Entire CCUS Value Chain
Building confidence across the CO₂ value chain requires more than standard tubular products. It demands proven expertise in materials engineering, corrosion management, premium connections and long-term asset integrity. This is where Vallourec brings decades of experience supporting some of the world’s most demanding energy projects.
Our solutions
CO₂ Transport
Transporting large volumes of captured CO₂ safely and efficiently requires pipeline systems capable of operating under high-pressure conditions while maintaining long-term integrity. Vallourec’s line pipe solutions combine robust mechanical performance, excellent weldability and proven expertise in corrosion resistance and fracture control to help operators mitigate risks throughout the project lifecycle.
Designed for demanding onshore and offshore environments, our solutions support the safe, reliable and cost-effective transportation of CO₂ from capture facilities to permanent storage sites.
CO₂ Injection & Storage
Long-term CO₂ storage relies on the integrity of injection wells and their ability to maintain containment over decades of operation. Vallourec supports storage projects with a comprehensive well integrity approach, combining premium OCTG, VAM® gas-tight connections, advanced material solutions and decades of expertise in demanding subsurface environments.
Drawing on a broad portfolio of carbon steel, corrosion-resistant alloys (CRA) and proprietary grades, Vallourec helps operators address the challenges associated with CO₂ service, including corrosion, pressure cycling and evolving reservoir conditions.
Advancing CCUS Through Research and Industry Collaboration
CCUS presents new challenges for materials, pipelines and well infrastructure, many of which are not yet fully addressed by existing industry standards. Vallourec plays an active role in advancing the understanding of CO₂ transport and storage through research, industry collaboration and technology development.
Our experts participate in multiple Joint Industry Projects (JIPs), contribute to industry standards and regularly publish technical papers covering topics on CO₂ transport via pipelines, CO₂ injection and connection technology for CO₂ environments.
Recognizing the specific challenges of CO₂ injection wells, Vallourec has also developed a dedicated qualification methodology for premium connections. This proprietary testing protocol evaluates connection performance under CCUS-specific conditions, including low temperatures, pressure and thermal cycling, rapid depressurization and demanding sealability requirements, helping ensure long-term integrity in CO₂ storage applications
Committed to Decarbonization
Vallourec is committed to reducing the environmental footprint of its operations and supporting the energy transition through responsible industrial practices. For more than 20 years, we have pursued a decarbonization strategy based on low-carbon electricity, recycled steel, biomass-based steelmaking, and continuous operational excellence, enabling us to significantly reduce the carbon intensity of our products.
By 2030, Vallourec aims to reduce the carbon footprint of its finished tubes by 30% and lower its total Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions by 25% compared with 2021 levels. These targets build on a strong track record, including the achievement of our previous greenhouse gas reduction commitments ahead of schedule. Our climate roadmap is aligned with the Paris Agreement and validated by the Global Steel Climate Council (GSCC).
*Verified through an Environmental Product Declaration, using PCR 2023:01 “Fabricated Metal Products, Except Construction Products”
This first-of-a-kind project is the state’s inaugural CCS facility to secure U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Class VI permits for CO₂ injection and storage in depleted oil and gas reservoirs, representing a significant milestone for the global CCS industry.
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