Alberta selects six projects for CCS hub development

Six proposals to develop carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) hubs in the industrial area around Edmonton have been selected by the Alberta government in the first round of a process to award pore space rights throughout the province.

The six selected project proponents are:

• Bison Low-Carbon Ventures (BLCV) for its Meadowbrook Storage Hub project north of Edmonton;
• Enbridge for its Open Access Wabamun Carbon Hub, west of Edmonton;
• Enhance Energy for its Origins Project south of Edmonton;
• Pembina Pipeline and TC Energy for their Alberta Carbon Grid project north and northeast of Edmonton;
• Shell Canada, ATCO Energy Solutions and Suncor Energy for their Atlas Carbon Sequestration Hub (formerly the Polaris CCS project) east of Edmonton, and;
• Wolf Midstream and partners Whitecap Resources and First Nation Capital Investment Partnership for a hub east of Edmonton.

Companies will be invited to work with government to further evaluate the suitability of each location for safely storing carbon from industrial emissions. If the evaluation demonstrates that the proposed projects can provide permanent storage, companies can work with the government on an agreement that provides them with the right to inject captured CO₂.

“As TC Energy continues to evolve to meet the world’s growing demand for energy, we see energy transition projects like Alberta Carbon Grid playing an essential role in reducing emissions,” said Bevin Wirzba, executive vice-president, strategy and corporate development at TC Energy.

“The Alberta Carbon Grid can be a game changer for CCUS in Alberta – it combines world-class technology and infrastructure solutions in one complete package that is easily scaled up and built out across the province,” said Stu Taylor, senior vice president, marketing and new ventures at Pembina.

Susannah Pierce, president and country chair at Shell Canada and general manager of its renewables and energy solutions business, took to LinkedIn to react to the news.

“This is the next step in the transformation of Scotford into one of Shell’s five global energy and chemicals parks and is a key step in continuing to decarbonise our operations and (help) meet Canada’s climate goals,” she wrote. “Through our Quest project at Scotford as well as several other global CCS projects we participate in, Shell has demonstrated its extensive experience in safely and securely storing CO2.”

“Our proposal was anchored in our partnership’s proven CO₂ infrastructure and subsurface capabilities, as well as our plan to use existing infrastructure by connecting to our Alberta Carbon Trunk Line system to minimise the project’s environmental footprint,” Wolf Midstream president Jeff Pearson said. “Our partnership’s ability to deliver an open-access system in a timely manner will mean we can support others in the region in reducing their carbon emissions, which will contribute to furthering Canada’s commitment to net zero.”

“We commend the Government of Alberta for moving quickly on launching a world-class CCS industry in the province,” Enbridge executive vice president Colin Gruending said. “We look forward to working with project partners Capital Power and Lehigh Cement, along with our local indigenous partners, to advance the hub, creating jobs and economic growth and helping Alberta and Canada meet emissions reduction goals.”

Partners in the Meadowbrook Storage Hub project include BLCV, Enerflex, PrairieSky Royalty and IRC Enterprises.

The selected projects will also be assessed on their ability to provide open access to all emitters and affordable use of the hub. And the Alberta Energy Regulator will ultimately approve only projects that meet Alberta’s rigorous safety and environmental standards.

“Carbon capture and storage is proven, safe and effective,” Alberta energy minister Sonya Savage said. “We are ensuring that carbon capture and sequestration will be deployed responsibly and strategically over the long term in the best interest of Albertans. This will help meet the increasing demand from industry and help significantly reduce emissions.”

A second request for full project proposals to provide carbon storage services to regions across the rest of the province is now open. Applications will be accepted from April 25 to May 2.