The Race to Build the Gulf’s Carbon Backbone

Regional energy leaders explore shared CCUS networks to cut costs and speed carbon storage development

5 Feb 2026

Policymakers and energy companies in the Middle East are stepping up discussions on shared carbon transport and storage systems, as the International Energy Forum (IEF) calls for greater regional cooperation to reduce costs and speed up deployment.

The shift reflects a move away from standalone carbon capture projects towards coordinated networks that allow multiple industrial emitters to use common infrastructure. Governments across the Gulf are seeking to curb emissions while maintaining industrial growth, as export markets and investors place greater weight on climate performance.

The IEF argues that cooperation on carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) could ease commercial pressures by spreading capital costs and shortening development timelines. Shared transport pipelines and storage hubs would reduce the need for each facility to build its own dedicated assets, improving overall project economics.

Large national energy groups, including Saudi Aramco, are often cited by analysts as potential anchor operators for future storage systems serving power generation, refining and heavy industry. Under this model, several emitters would connect to centralised storage sites, allowing capacity to expand over time and encouraging broader private sector participation.

“The Middle East has the geology and industrial scale to play a major role in carbon storage,” the International Energy Forum noted in recent commentary, while stressing the need for alignment on policy, regulation, and commercial frameworks. This includes clearer permitting processes, defined responsibility for stored carbon, and transparent rules governing third party access to infrastructure.

The debate mirrors a wider reassessment of CCUS globally. For sectors that are difficult to electrify, carbon capture is increasingly seen as a necessary part of the energy system rather than a marginal technology. Cooperative storage concepts resemble the early development of gas pipelines and export terminals, which gradually evolved into integrated regional networks.

Significant obstacles remain, including long-term policy support, pricing mechanisms and access terms. Even so, industry engagement has become more constructive, suggesting that regional frameworks for shared carbon infrastructure may begin to take clearer shape in the coming years.