Assessing complexity of carbon capture and storage using multi-criteria decision-making methods

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) has been considered worldwide a key strategy for reducing carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from power plants and large energy-intensive industries burning fossil fuels. However, CCS projects are complex systems, influenced by several factors that may hamper their deployment. This paper analyzes the complexity of CCS projects by applying two multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods to evaluate what the most important complexity factors are and how they influence each other. The objective is threefold: reveal the main complexity factors affecting CCS projects; show that these factors are highly interconnected; and demonstrate that the methodology applied in this work is not case specific, so it also can be applied in the analysis of other types of complex systems. The findings of this paper can contribute to the scientific knowledge of complexity of projects and can improve the understanding of CCS projects, helping decision-makers to create strategies that foster a fast the deployment of CCS.