This website will offer limited functionality in this browser. We only support the recent versions of major browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge.

Technology Collaboration Programme by IEA

Assessment of the Costs and Enhanced Potential for Carbon Sequestration in Soils

IEAGHG

Citation: IEAGHG, "Assessment of the Costs and Enhanced Potential for Carbon Sequestration in Soils", 2005-04, February 2005.

Download The Full Publication Now

Publication Overview

This study assesses the quantities of additional carbon that could be sequestered in a range of soils, and the costs of sequestration. The study was carried out by a consortium led by the Australian Cooperative Research Centre for Greenhouse Accounting, including experts from Australia, the USA, Sweden and Kazakhstan.

Publication Summary

There are large regional and sub-regional variations in the technical and economic potential for carbon sequestration in soils.

For the cases considered in this study, up to 14.4 tonnes of carbon is capable of being sequestered per hectare over a 20 year period but a more typical figure is around 5t.ha-1.

For carbon prices of less than $50/t carbon ($14/t CO₂) all regions show a relatively low economic potential for soil carbon sequestration; the overall economic potential is 16% of the technical potential. At $200/t C ($55/t CO₂) 61% of the technical potential could be achieved.

In most, but not all, cases the carbon sequestration practices reduce the overall net emissions of greenhouse gases, for example CO₂ from farm machinery and N2O emissions from soils. These are taken into account in the assessment of sequestration potentials and economics

Download Publication

Access the complete publication in PDF format.

Download Now

Related Publications

View similar publications.

View All Publications
Technical Review

Risk Management and Monitoring Networks Combined Meeting Report

  • 15 January 2026
  • Event Proceedings
  • Storage

Two IEAGHG expert networks, the Risk Management Network and the Monitoring Network, held a combined meeting from 27th to 28th August 2025 in The Hague, The Netherlands. Both networks have been convening for 20 years, and this meeting, hosted by Shell at the Shell Centre, represented the 11th Risk Management and the 15th Monitoring meeting.

Technical Report

CO2 Transport and Storage Availability

  • 28 November 2025
  • Storage
  • Transport

The objective of this study is to investigate realistic rates of CO2 Transport and Storage operational availability that may be achievable for future systems, with a focus primarily on pipeline transportation and storage within sedimentary basins (saline aquifers and depleted fields).

Technical Report

CO2 Transport and Storage Cost Review

  • 9 October 2025
  • Costs of CCUS
  • Storage
  • Transport

The objective of the study was to review publicly available information on CO2 transport and storage (T&S) costs, to provide insights into how typical cost estimates are built up and to inform on areas of risk. Current information on T&S costs and the need for new or improved data would be explored.

Technical Review

Proceedings of the CCS Cost Network 2025 Workshop

  • 1 October 2025
  • Costs of CCUS
  • Event Proceedings

IEAGHG’s 8th CCS Cost Network Workshop, hosted by Bechtel at their Energy Headquarters in Houston, the so-called Energy Capital of the World, took place on March 5–6, 2025. This invitation-only, in-person gathering convened around 50 leading experts from industry and academia, fostering a highly interactive forum for in-depth discussions on advancing real-world cost estimation across the CCS value chain. The workshop was opened with welcoming remarks from Bechtel’s Bill Elliot, Operations Manager, ET, and George Whittaker, CCUS Operations Manager, which set the scene for a workshop focused on sharing expertise, challenging assumptions, and identifying practical pathways to lower CCS costs.

Our most recent publications

Our authoritative, peer-reviewed publications cover topics that include carbon capture, transport, storage, monitoring, regulation, and more.

View All Publications
Technical Review

Risk Management and Monitoring Networks Combined Meeting Report

  • 15 January 2026
  • Event Proceedings
  • Storage

Two IEAGHG expert networks, the Risk Management Network and the Monitoring Network, held a combined meeting from 27th to 28th August 2025 in The Hague, The Netherlands. Both networks have been convening for 20 years, and this meeting, hosted by Shell at the Shell Centre, represented the 11th Risk Management and the 15th Monitoring meeting.

Technical Report

CO2 Transport and Storage Availability

  • 28 November 2025
  • Storage
  • Transport

The objective of this study is to investigate realistic rates of CO2 Transport and Storage operational availability that may be achievable for future systems, with a focus primarily on pipeline transportation and storage within sedimentary basins (saline aquifers and depleted fields).

Technical Report

CO2 Transport and Storage Cost Review

  • 9 October 2025
  • Costs of CCUS
  • Storage
  • Transport

The objective of the study was to review publicly available information on CO2 transport and storage (T&S) costs, to provide insights into how typical cost estimates are built up and to inform on areas of risk. Current information on T&S costs and the need for new or improved data would be explored.

Get the latest CCS news and insights

Get essential news and updates from the CCS sector and the IEAGHG by email.

Can’t find what you are looking for?

Whatever you would like to know, our dedicated team of experts is here to help you. Just drop us an email and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

Contact Us Now