Societal embeddedness of carbon capture and storage in New Zealand: a preliminary investigation

In July 2024, the New Zealand Government sought public input on proposed legislation that seeks to incentivise investments into Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS), which includes investments into narrower Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technologies and initiatives. In February 2025, Government re-stated its commitment to progressing legislation on CCS and CCUS, emphasising the role of CO2 storage in enabling a least-cost transition toward net-zero emissions and safeguarding energy security by incentivising investments into natural gas production. GNS Science has long-standing scientific expertise within the field of CCS. Over a decade ago, social scientists at GNS Science explored public knowledge and perceptions of CCS and engaged with a range of stakeholders on the viability of establishing CCS facilities in their regions. This report summarises this previous societal research associated with CCS projects, along with a summary of more recent analysis on social issues in relation to sub-surface energy storage (such as compressed air and hydrogen). While there are clear scientific and technical differences between CCS projects and sub-surface energy storage, from the standpoint of local communities and local stakeholders, several of the opportunities and challenges are common. Following the review of previous societal research, the report then sets out the ‘societal embeddedness level’ (SEL) methodology developed in relation to CCS projects, which articulates one of the first comprehensive mappings of societal concerns specifically developed for this field globally. A GNS Science staff workshop explored the relevance of a SEL approach to the New Zealand context, and the results of this workshop are also summarised in this report. In addition, the limitations of the SEL framework and potential modifications are outlined, along with recommendations for further research and potential application. This report contributes to a financial year (FY) 2024/25 Strategic Development Fund (SDF) project titled ‘Pathways for Carbon Dioxide Storage and Mineralization’ that was funded by the Ministry for Business, Innovation & Employment (MBIE)’s Strategic Science Investment Fund (SSIF). The work also builds on, and progresses, analysis in FY 2023/24 of social issues in relation to sub-surface energy storage (auth)