A recent report by research and analytics firm Enverus shows an uptick in permitting for Class VI wells, used in carbon capture and storage (CCS).
This new report provides a comprehensive update on the expanding roster of Class VI wells, highlighting permit applications, status changes, approvals, and newly revealed project details.
The report finds that Class VI permitting momentum improved in early 2026, with two permits approved in the first quarter and a third issued in the early second quarter. This matches the total number of approvals in 2025. In parallel, five draft permits were issued in the first quarter of 2026 across Louisiana, Texas, Kansas, and Colorado. In addition, the US Environmental Protection Agency has indicated that nearly two dozen additional applications could receive draft permits in 2026, adding, however, that “timeline extensions remain common.”
At the same time, new application volume eased slightly. Three new Class VI applications were submitted in the first quarter of 2026, fewer than the 4-year quarterly average of seven, and four existing applications, totaling nine wells and 10 mtpa of capacity, were withdrawn. Enevrus’ report also notes evolving state primacy dynamics, with Utah advancing to Phase III (proposed rulemaking) and Indiana enacting a law requiring the state to pursue primacy.
“Across the Class VI landscape, 1Q26 shows approvals beginning to build even as new submissions slow. That’s creating a large but uncertain near-term pipeline,” said Brad Johnston, an analyst with Enverus’ energy transition division. “Draft-permit activity suggests capacity can scale materially over the next several years, but schedule extensions, withdrawals, and iterative regulator feedback remain key variables for project timing and investment planning.”
At the end of the quarter, Enverus tracked 106 Class VI applications under review (387 total wells), with 54 under the EPA (211 wells), 30 under Louisiana’s permitting authority (96 wells), and 18 under Texas’ permitting authority (69 wells), among others.
Enverus said five CCS projects were actively injecting CO2 through Class VI wells at the end of the first quarter of 2026, and current injection capacity was 5.2 mtpa. Enverus forecasts that capacity could exceed 100 mtpa by the end of 2027 and 300 mtpa by 2030.