China's CO2 pipeline development strategy under carbon neutrality

Under China's goal of carbon neutrality, there is a huge demand for carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture, utilization, and storage technology (CCUS). CO₂ transport, as a crucial link in the CCUS industrial chain, will inevitably rely on the construction of long-distance CO₂ pipelines and infrastructure. Due to the late start and small scale of China's CO₂ pipeline construction, and the relative lag in related technologies and policies, it is urgent to make systematical planning and achieve relevant technological breakthroughs for the future construction of CO₂ pipeline network as a public infrastructure. Therefore, a three-stage pipeline development path is proposed based on the analysis of the spatial distribution characteristics and the temporal pattern of large-scale commercial development of CO₂ carbon sources and storage in China. Moreover, solutions and suggestions are proposed upon the developments analysis in China from the perspectives of pipeline transportation technology, safety evaluation, materials and equipment, and integrity. The results show that the construction of CO₂ pipeline network as an important CCUS infrastructure will accelerate with the development of the global CCUS industry; the spatial distribution of CO₂ emission sources and storage is unbalanced in China, with 65.8% from the eastern and central China, and CO₂ flooding and geological storage contributing to most of large-scale CO₂ pipeline transportation. The conclusions are as follows. First, the three-stage development path is a million-ton demonstration project of supercritical CO₂ transmission pipeline before China peaks carbon emissions. After the achievement of carbon peak, a 10 million-ton regional network architecture of CO₂ pipeline network centered on basins will be built, and trunk pipelines between regions will be formed before achieving carbon neutrality, establishing the national carbon transmission network with a transportation capacity of 10 × 10⁸ ton, and a total mileage of approximately 6 × 10⁴ km. Second, we should carry out research on the technology and equipment for the full phase CO₂ pipeline transportation onshore and offshore, improve the domestic pipeline transportation technology, and promote the continuous improvement of the regulatory system in the pipeline transportation industry, so as to facilitate the implementation of demonstration projects.