A common assumption in CCUS projects is that tighter CO₂ purity specifications inevitably increase cost and complexity. This presentation challenges that view by showing that, when assessed across the full value chain, deeper CO₂ conditioning can add relatively limited incremental cost while materially reducing downstream technical and commercial risk.

Captured CO₂ streams vary significantly by source, capture technology and operating regime. Residual water, oxygen, sulfur species, hydrocarbons and non-condensable gases can affect phase behaviour, corrosion risk, equipment design, transport efficiency and storage compatibility. These effects are particularly important in emerging shared CCUS networks, where off-spec CO₂ can introduce constraints and costs far beyond the capture plant boundary.

This presentation examines how purification and liquefaction strategy influences value-chain performance. It considers the relationship between conditioning depth, energy use, equipment scope, transport and storage robustness, and interface risk across pipelines, terminals, shipping and injection systems.

The analysis suggests that tighter CO₂ specifications should not be viewed only as a compliance burden. In many cases, they represent a system-level value lever: a modest upstream investment that can simplify downstream infrastructure, improve interoperability, reduce operational risk and lower total project cost