Alberta invests in global CCS knowledge hub
Canada’s International CCS Knowledge Centre said April 27 it would establish the world’s first open-source repository of knowledge about carbon capture and storage (CCS) developments, with foundational support from a C$3mn investment by the government of Alberta.
The mandate of the knowledge hub will be to collect and curate best practices and lessons learned from Canadian CCS projects, drawing on knowledge from as many projects as possible from initial planning and feasibility studies, through to construction and ongoing operations.
“Bringing large-scale CCS projects to life at the speed and scale that is required to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 requires unprecedented collaboration between industry, government, academia and other partners,” Knowledge Centre CEO James Millar said. “The most effective way of reducing risk, lowering costs and improving performance of these multi-billion-dollar infrastructure projects is to share our proven expertise and apply the experience gained across heavy-emitting industries in order to build a sustainable future for all.”
Alberta’s contribution to the knowledge hub represents the first major action item under the province’s Emissions Reduction and Energy Development Plan released April 19 to provide guidance on how Alberta will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its oil and gas sector.
“Carbon capture and storage is a critical part of Alberta’s path to achieving a net-zero economy,” Alberta environment minister Sonya Savage said. “With projects such as the Quest CCS facility operated by Shell Canada, and the Alberta Carbon Trunk Line, we have led the world in developing CCUS facilities and proving the capability of this technology to drastically cut CO2 emissions from the industries that are the bedrock of our economy and are the lifeblood of our communities.”