Frustrations are growing as federal permitting delays are hindering US energy players from unlocking the vast carbon capture and sequestration potential in the Gulf of Mexico.

The US Gulf Coast is a key region for scaling up carbon capture, given its abundance of depleted oil and gas reservoirs and energy infrastructure.

Upstream companies and US states are poised to scale up the new technology, developing partnerships and leasing pore space, but the permitting delays — including regulatory frameworks for sequestration in federal waters — will need to be sorted before any potential projects can proceed.