Petronas, Mercedes Launch Five-Year CCS Mangrove Research Collaboration

Malaysia's state oil firm Petronas is exploring carbon capture and storage (CCS) as a potential revenue source and is preparing the country to manage future liquefied natural gas imports. In a significant environmental development, restored mangrove ecosystems in Chennai's Adyar estuary have demonstrated substantial carbon sequestration capacity, storing 2,288 tonnes of carbon and capturing 1,195 tonnes of CO2 equivalent annually despite pollution challenges. The dominant mangrove species, Avicennia marina, plays a key role in this carbon storage, with biomass metrics far exceeding global averages for similar ecosystems. These findings highlight the critical role mangroves can play in climate change mitigation, even in areas impacted by industrial effluents and urbanization. Supporting such efforts, Petronas has partnered with the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team to launch the Blue Carbon Collective, a five-year South-South research collaboration focused on carbon capture within mangrove ecosystems, aimed at advancing global emissions reduction strategies and supporting mangrove conservation. This initiative also ties into local restoration programs like Yayasan PETRONAS’ One Million Trees Programme, which is actively replanting mangroves in Malaysia to rehabilitate degraded coastal areas.