Panel Session

Panel Session: The Economics of CCS: Is $85 Enough to Drive Progress?

Location: Room 310

Monday, 3 March 2025, 10:55 a.m.–12:00 p.m.  |  Houston, Texas

The financial viability of carbon capture projects hinges on whether the current $85 per ton incentive under 45Q provides sufficient support for widespread adoption. With actual costs of capture, transport, and storage often exceeding this threshold, questions arise about the need for adjusted incentives or alternative mechanisms like carbon taxes to drive economic feasibility. Representatives from startups, established operators, service companies, and experts involved in the CarbonSAFE initiative will bring diverse perspectives and real-world experiences to this discussion, offering insights into the practical challenges and innovative solutions for making carbon capture projects financially sustainable. This panel will provide valuable insights into the economic tipping points, financing strategies, and policy considerations that will shape the future of carbon capture, making it an essential opportunity for understanding the path forward in this evolving sector.

Moderator

Onno van Kessel is Shell Global Solutions International's General Manager for Carbon Capture and Storage Development & Subsurface, responsible for the global technical delivery and competitiveness of Shell's pre-FEED CCS project portfolio, as well as Development & Subsurface capability for CCS and support to operated CCS assets. He leads a global technical organization which includes teams in Beijing, London, Houston, Calgary, Aberdeen and The Hague. He joined Shell as a Petroleum Engineer in the 1990s and has held a variety of technical and commercial positions in front-end development and opportunity management in the UK, Brunei, Australia and the Netherlands.

Panelists

Juan Agudelo leads the Welligence Energy Transition practices, expanding the GHG emissions solution and the Carbon Capture and Storage offering. Before joining Welligence, Juan was a Director of Consulting at Wood Mackenzie for seven years, where he led engagements with energy companies, governments, and financial institutions. Prior to consulting, Juan spent 11 years at Ecopetrol, most recently serving as a Strategy Advisor for the Executive Vice President of Exploration and Production. Juan holds an MBA from MIT’s Sloan School of Management, a Postgraduate degree in Finance from Andes University, and a BE in Industrial Engineering from Javeriana University.

Greg Matlock is a tax and commercial lawyer by background, and he currently serves as EY's Americas Oil, Gas, Chemicals, Mining and Metals Industry Tax Leader. Greg is a Partner in EY's National Tax practice and advises clients on investments throughout the energy value chain (from natural resource transactions through decarbonization investments like carbon capture and hydrogen). Greg is also an adjunct professor at University of Houston Law School.

Dr. Rodney Garrard is a geologist with over 23 yrs of experience in the subsurface realm. Before joining Arch Insurance as Geo-Energy Advisor, he worked extensively in the upstream E&P industry for 18 years before pivoting into the nuclear waste disposal in 2018 in Switzerland. Following the completion of the site selection process for geological storage of nuclear waste, Rodney decided to make use of experiences spanning five continents over two decades in the global energy insurance industry.

Carolyn Seto investigates the role of technology and innovation in enabling competitive differentiation in the energy sector—from how firms source technology to how they leverage value from their technology development efforts. Recent research includes analysis of the implications of open innovation on the energy technology development landscape and the intersection of technology, policy and commercial strategy in advancing CCUS. Ms. Seto also manages the CERAWeek Energy Innovation Pioneers program, where she tracks emerging energy technology trends and identifies promising startups developing game changing innovations to feature at CERAWeek. Prior to S&P Global, Carolyn has a diverse set of experiences from across the entire energy value chain, in both technical and commercial capacities—from managing the quantitative fuel analytics group for Edison Mission Marketing and Trading to working as a reservoir engineer for BP, Shell, and Chevron. She holds PhD and MSc degrees in petroleum engineering from Stanford University and a BSc in engineering chemistry from Queen’s University.

Fee: Included with registration

Location: Room 310

Venue

George R. Brown Convention Center

1001 Avenida De Las Americas

Houston, Texas 77010

United States

(713) 853-8000

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