Canada’s Wolf Midstream leads aquifer CCS proposal
Canada’s Wolf Midstream, which owns and operates the 14.6mn mt/yr Alberta Carbon Trunk Line (ACTL) in central Alberta, said February 23 it had partnered with Whitecap Resources, the First Nation Capital Investment Partnership (FNCIP) and Heart Lake First Nation in a plan to develop a saline aquifer sequestration hub near Edmonton.
The hub proposal was submitted as part of the first tranche in Alberta’s request for full project proposals (RFPP) to develop carbon capture and storage (CCS) hubs. Submissions under that tranche closed February 1, and the selection of successful proponents is expected by the end of March. A second RFPP, for hub development elsewhere in the province, is expected to be launched by the government by March 4.
“This hub will support key net-zero projects currently in development and further propel Alberta towards a lower carbon economy,” said Jeff Pearson, president of carbon at Wolf Midstream. “In addition, the hub will be connected to the ACTL, maximising one of the province’s vital decarbonisation investments.”
The planned hub, which could capture and store as much as 6mn mt/yr of CO2from companies operating in Alberta’s Industrial Heartland (AIH), has already attracted the attention of several emitters seeking “independent and timely” sequestration solutions, including Air Products, which is planning a major net-zero hydrogen energy complex in the area.
“Air Products strongly supports the carbon sequestration hub proposed by this innovative partnership,” Air Products CEO Seifi Ghasemi said. “Wolf, Whitecap, the FNCIP and (Heart Lake First Nation) have the experience, capability, and community trust to safely deliver a critical piece of energy infrastructure near Edmonton that will enable substantial decarbonisation beginning in 2024.”
The potential to access the ACTL to transport and store captured CO2 was one of the driving factors leading Air Products to locate its hydrogen complex at AIH, he said.
Besides Air Products, Wolf Midstream and its partners have executed agreements with several other parties which are expected to provide initial deliveries of 2-3mn mt/yr of CO2 to the hub.
Development work, pending the hub’s selection under the RFPP process, is expected to begin immediately, targeting an in-service date prior to the end of 2024.