A Program Involving
an entire ecosystem

The PICTUrS programme acts as a facilitator, orchestrating the creation and management of working groups dedicated to various key themes essential to the growth and implementation of the CCUS sector. By coordinating the efforts of these groups, PICTUrS ensures that they have the necessary resources and support, fostering collaborative innovation among ecosystem members. These groups work towards development studies, which are then co-financed through available grants and contributions from private partners.

When these studies reach a sufficient level of operational maturity, with a clearly defined technical framework and an identified consortium of partners, they can evolve into autonomous projects. PICTUrS thus operates as a true incubator for CCUS industrial projects, supporting each initiative from its initial concept—developed in steering committees—to its operational independence, while actively involving local stakeholders in the process. Some key players, who may not be members of AVENIA but are nonetheless crucial to the CCUS ecosystem, can follow the Programme’s developments through dedicated clubs. These include industrial CO2 emitters whose activities need to be decarbonised, as well as technology or licence holders enabling CO2 valorisation and utilisation.

Several working groups focus on topics such as:

  • CO2 capture, to connect CO2 emitters with solution providers;
  • CO2 utilisation, to explore the implementation of CO2 transformation and utilisation technologies in a given territory;
  • Data monitoring beyond operational phases led by industrial partners;
  • Economic models associated with CCUS hubs, to establish business models and create value in the regions they traverse.

During the study phase, some Programme partners are working on CO2 mineralisation in ancient basalts. Previous research projects, including an industrial initiative (Carbfix), have shown that it is possible to convert anthropogenic CO2 into stone. These reactive basaltic rocks are young and located on volcanic islands or in the oceans, resulting from the reaction of CO2 with volcanic rocks after their deposition. But what about the possibility of mineralising CO2 in basalts regardless of their age or geological history? Such a possibility could open promising prospects for safely storing large quantities of CO2 worldwide.

Moreover, Programme partners have contributed to a national study aimed at identifying geological storage capacities in France.

Finally, as the first example of a project that became independent, the programme was instrumental in the development of the PYCASSO Project, labelled a Project of Common Interest in 2024.