Brazil’s CCUS Inflection Point Before COP30: The Importance of Ground Presence

Multisector engagement as industry, students, and civil society gather at SFLCT’s first sovereign CCUS convening in Brazil

Fernando C. Hernandez (left), Felipe Nascimento, Priscila Amaral, and Carlos Pedroso; their respective organizations are cited in the article

This event departed from standard high-level formats by providing open access and delivering ethical, action-ready insights to the public with no gatekeeping”

— Fernando C. Hernandez

HOUSTON, TX, UNITED STATES, December 10, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- In the backdrop of a series of historic acts, the “Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS) Law to Real Action” knowledge-impact mixer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil was held. This occurred at a decisive moment as Brazil’s technical, regulatory, and societal pillars converged toward real-world implementation, and marked the Society for Low Carbon Technologies’ (SFLCT) first sovereign-Brazilian convening. Notably, the event was engineered as an advanced grassroots convening, reinforcing national momentum while remaining open to industry, students, and civil society.

This momentum was reinforced by SFLCT’s participation with the Brazilian Government’s CCUS Subcommittee, established by the Ministry of Mines and Energy to anchor the nation’s CCUS strategy ahead of the United Nations’ COP30 and beyond. The foregoing aligned with the period in which the nation's CCUS decree advanced during COP30, the first of its kind in South America. Importantly, several Subcommittee organizations were present at the mixer, affirming its institutional legitimacy.

This structure ensured impactful relevance while maintaining clear community embeddedness and public openness. Attendees were in the room of the future, as the ethical insights shared foreshadowed outcomes reflected in the national decree, demonstrating the strategic timing of the convening. Fernando C. Hernandez, SFLCT’s Chairman of the Board, emphasized, “This event departed from standard high-level formats by providing open access and delivering ethical, action-ready insights to the public with no gatekeeping,” reinforcing SFLCT’s mission in service of biospheric integrity. This is consistent with its standing as a U.S.-based non-governmental organization operating globally.

SFLCT’s dual positioning—both as a contributor and convening organizer—shaped an event format that was globally accessible yet institutionally anchored. As documented in the “Journal of Petroleum Technology” (JPT), SFLCT had engaged, prior to joining the Subcommittee, with the Brazilian regulatory authority on CCUS pathways now expected, per the decree, to oversee the country’s regulatory phase for CCUS.

Additionally, attendees participated in actionable dialogue on how Brazil can translate its CCUS law into operational projects capable of delivering measurable environmental outcomes that support a low-carbon economy. TotalEnergies advanced an offshore CCUS program (over $155 million dollars) in the wake of the decree, demonstrating how regulatory clarity translated into immediate investment, exactly the policy-to-action trajectory emphasized at the mixer.

Speakers bridged insights, highlighting the layered readiness and collaboration to bolster CCUS projects. These included Felipe Nascimento, JV Analyst at PETRONAS; Priscila Amaral, External Relations at Associação Brasileira de Geólogos de Petróleo (ABGP); and Carlos Pedroso with Petrobras and Regional Director at the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE). SFLCT’s Chairman underscored the strategic importance of Global South alignment, noting that Brazil and Malaysia enacted carbon capture laws, creating a South Asia to South America arc aligned with SFLCT’s Pakistani and Brazilian operations. He also highlighted the low-carbon organization’s early engagement with the U.S. Department of Energy on CCUS with Brazil, as documented in the JPT, demonstrating global impact.

Moreover, attendees highlighted the importance of empowering youth and cultivating the next generation of low-carbon professionals, ensuring the country develops the technical talent required to operate and safely scale a CCUS-enabled economy. This event was further anchored by institutional partners who formally backed the event, including the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) Latin America and Caribbean, SPE Brazil Section, and ABGP.

Looking ahead while looking back: This convening affirmed SFLCT’s institutional standing within Brazil’s emerging CCUS architecture. With operational support from its Strategic Advisor, Cassandra Dewan, the event maintained a balance of institutional tone and inclusive access. Hernandez notes that SFLCT stands with “Ordem e Progresso,” alongside, and never above, any collaborators.

***Publishing note: The views expressed are those of the SFLCT, a federally recognized U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and do not necessarily reflect the positions of any organizations referenced. This information, constituting news, is provided solely for knowledge dissemination and non-commercial purposes. No endorsement is implied. This publication aligns with SFLCT’s federally exempt status.***

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