Session 3. Oral Presentation for: Cross-border CO2 transportation policy readiness: positioning Australia in the global CCS market

Presented on 19 May 2026: Session 3 Cross-border carbon capture and storage (CCS) is essential for decarbonising the world’s and Asia-Pacific’s (APAC) industrial emissions. Globally, Europe and APAC indicate a high potential for cross-border transport with a forecast of 127 mtpa cross-border opportunity by 2035. Yet beyond geological advantages, successful cross-border CCS also requires coordinated policy frameworks and regulatory harmony. This paper presents a five-dimensional framework assessing cross-border CCS policies: domestic ecosystem strength, regulatory harmony, operational guidelines, stakeholder engagement, and enabling finance. These five parameters are scored over 12 sub-parameters on a scale of 0–4. Comparison with regional peers Malaysia (1.25) and Indonesia (1.3) reveals Australia’s (2.5) competitive advantages in storage regulations and London Protocol readiness. However, significant gaps remain compared to European peers, particularly in emissions accounting for leakage, dispute resolution, and technical specifications for CO2. To secure its position as regional leader in the space, Australia must accelerate bilateral agreement negotiations with Japan, South Korea, and Singapore; clarify emissions credit treatment for imported CO2; and champion regional coordination mechanisms. To access the Oral Presentation click ‘Supplementary data’ below. To read the full paper click here