INFRASTRUCTURE HUBS

Industrial projects often need the same expensive connections to electricity, water, CO₂ transport and storage. An infrastructure hub brings those services together for several users, with a public development body or commercial developer responsible for providing the shared assets. Carbon capture and storage (CCS), carbon capture and utilisation (CCU), and removal projects can develop together where their needs are compatible. A broader customer base spreads fixed costs and reduces dependence on a single project's success, helping finance infrastructure that individual users could not justify alone. Projects may share one industrial site or connect across a region. Agreements specify each user's capacity, charges and service date. Removal developers benefit by joining an established or jointly financed system, giving them access to essential services with less infrastructure to develop themselves. This lever provides shared services to a cluster of users; Cross-Border CO₂ Networks addresses delivery of the route connecting customers and storage across national borders. One project may combine both interventions.

Developers should select locations and shared services around the needs of the full customer group. Industrial capture and carbon-use projects may bring early volumes, utilities or demand for captured CO₂; removal facilities may add biogenic or atmospheric CO₂ and require storage access. Biomass-based capture needs suitable sources, while direct air capture depends heavily on suitable energy, water and storage. Sharing is worthwhile only where equipment, CO₂ quality and delivery schedules are compatible. Commitments from the first large users should justify initial construction. Agreements must identify asset ownership, charges, responsibility for low utilisation and rules for connecting later users. Developers also need to assess all tenants' combined demands on utilities and their effects on nearby communities.

Combining customers from carbon capture, utilisation and removal can keep shared assets better used and reduce the investment each project needs to bear. Established industrial users can support initial services to which smaller removal suppliers later connect, while a variety of customers reduces exposure to one firm's failure. Once services operate, new plants can join without repeating the whole infrastructure development process. Co-located demonstrations and exchanges between engineers can spread practical improvements, and a concentration of customers can attract equipment suppliers and training providers. The benefit depends on compatible needs and credible demand across the participating projects.

If too few users proceed, shared assets may remain underused and fail to recover their costs. A varied customer base reduces reliance on one firm, but several customers may still be affected by the same energy prices or policy changes. Large initial users can also reserve capacity that smaller projects later need. Concentrating projects means a power outage, storage interruption or local dispute can affect many users at once, while delays by one developer may leave others paying before they can connect. Phased construction, credible commitments and clear access, outage and delay arrangements can reduce these risks. The hub must also plan for industrial customers reducing or ending CO₂ production over its operating life.

Evaluation should distinguish committed users, investment decisions and available services from announced capacity, then compare utilisation and customer concentration with investment assumptions. Comparisons with stand-alone projects should examine connection costs, reliability and each user's share of common costs. Records should identify the origin, destination and losses of CO₂ handled, with lifecycle emissions and qualifying storage checked when removal claims are made. Authorities should also review local employment and combined environmental effects. Poor utilisation, repeated outages or unmet community commitments should lead to changes in operating terms or postponed expansion.

Prospective users should provide realistic volume, timing and service requirements so hub developers can size common assets. Utilities, ports and storage operators should agree compatible equipment specifications and delivery schedules. Public authorities should assign responsibility for land, permits and infrastructure funding. Communities should help shape siting, environmental monitoring and local benefit commitments, with a continuing route to raise concerns. Employers and training institutions can agree which jobs local programmes should prepare people to fill.

National public development bodies can commission hubs and take responsibility for shared assets. Regional and municipal authorities can develop them through land, utilities and infrastructure ownership where their powers permit. Companies and industry consortia can finance, build and operate the facilities under commercial agreements. These actors may work jointly, but their contracts must identify who provides each service and bears its development risks.