Astana – September 09, 2026 -- China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec, HKG: 0386) has joined Kazakhstan's Ministry of Energy, the International CCUS Technology Cooperation Organization (ICTO) and Nazarbayev University's Institute of New Materials and Energy Technologies to launch a low-carbon energy cooperation initiative aimed at deepening global CCUS collaboration.
The initiative was unveiled at the International Conference on CCUS Technologies 2026, held September 1-2 in Astana, and calls for closer alignment on CCUS technology standards and expanded professional exchange among industry practitioners.
Conference draws 230 delegates from dozens of countries to Astana
Government officials, private-sector representatives and international organizations from China, Kazakhstan, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada attended the launch ceremony. The broader conference gathered more than 230 participants to discuss carbon capture, geological storage, CO2 mineralization and CCUS hub development, alongside business models, policy frameworks and cross-border partnerships needed for large-scale deployment.
Sinopec vice-president cites CCUS as a critical climate technology
Tian Hongbin, vice-president of the Sinopec Group, said global climate action has entered a critical phase in which CCUS has become a key technology. He added that Sinopec, as a founding contributor to ICTO, will continue supporting its growth as a global network of leading experts and reinforcing international cooperation in the CCUS sector.
Sinopec operates China's first 100-kilometer dense-phase CO2 pipeline
Sinopec has built China's first 100-kilometer dense-phase CO2 pipeline and commissioned the country's first integrated CCUS demonstration project, with annual capacity of one million metric tons. The company is also conducting a joint study with Shell, BASF and China Baowu on China's first open-access CCUS hub, targeting a 10-million-metric-ton capacity, while preparing a separate one-million-metric-ton demonstration project at the Shengli oilfield focused on low-concentration CO2 sources.
Together, these projects span CO2 capture from sources of varying concentration, enhanced oil recovery and geological storage.
ICTO counts 60 founding members across more than 20 countries
ICTO, established in July 2025, has 60 founding members comprising companies, research institutes and experts from more than 20 countries and regions. Sinopec said it will continue working with ICTO and its members to connect engineering expertise with international research and support the development and deployment of CCUS technologies.