Can finance and policy unlock the carbon capture boom? | Recorded live at CCUS in Houston

This special episode of Interchange Recharged brings together finance, law, and technology leaders shaping the path to commercial carbon capture. Host Sylvia Leyva Martinez explores how capital, regulation, and innovation are converging to turn early-stage CCUS projects into bankable reality.

The conversation opens with Omer Farooq, Head of Sustainable Asset Finance at Bank of America, on how one of the world’s largest banks is approaching carbon capture — from financing first-of-a-kind projects to assessing new business models and risk structures. Omer explains why point-source capture is already investable, why direct air capture still has hurdles to clear, and why incentives like 45Q remain the backbone of the economics. “Policy drives energy,” he says, “and transport and permitting are the next frontiers.”

Next, Liz McGinley, Partner at Bracewell LLP, joins to unpack the evolving U.S. regulatory landscape. She discusses the expanded 45Q tax credit, the lingering uncertainty around the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program, and why the slow pace of pipeline permitting has become a bottleneck for deployment. Yet, she says, investor confidence is growing fast — driven by clarity on incentives and insurance mechanisms to manage geological risk.

Finally, Shahul Hameed, Vice President of Global Oil & Gas Measurement Instrumentation at Emerson, explains how technology is catching up with policy. He shares how decades of oil and gas expertise are being repurposed for CO₂ transport and storage, and how automation, measurement accuracy, and data integrity are helping to de-risk projects. From AI-driven analytics to mass-based metering, Shahul outlines how precision is becoming the new currency of CCUS.

From finance and legal frameworks to field-level innovation, this episode captures the mood on the ground in Houston — one of optimism, collaboration, and rapid evolution. As Sylvia concludes, “Finance follows certainty. The incentives are there, the technology is advancing, and the industry is learning fast.”

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