International CCS Knowledge Centre

A big congrats to Shell and ATCO EnPower for reaching an exciting milestone in carbon capture! The Atlas Carbon Storage Hub has just turned Phase 1 of their evaluation into a sequestration agreement with the Government of Alberta! This gives them the green light to begin injecting and storing captured CO2 east of Edmonton. Alberta is already a leader in ethical energy production, with CCUS projects removing as much CO2 as taking over 2.5 million cars off the road. This new project will continue to accelerate the province’s climate goals and to pave the way for new CCS facilities to be developed. #Shell #ATCO #CCUS #CarbonCapture #CleanEnergy #AlbertaEnergy #GreenFuture

Over the weekend, Collins Nyarko, the Knowledge Centre's EIT of Project Development & Technical Services, presented at the University of Regina's 1st International Conference on Industrial, Manufacturing, and Process Engineering. In a nutshell, Collins explored how to use operational data to ensure equipment in CCS plants performs optimally, highlighting key Reliability, Availability, and Maintainability (RAM) parameters. This helps spot potential issues and plan for maintenance effectively. The Knowledge Centre is driven by sharing what we have learned from our experiences, and we are grateful our experts can contribute to the conversation. #ICIMP2024 #CarbonCapture #CCS #Engineering #Sustainability #Innovation #KnowledgeSharing 

We are pleased to co-sign this open letter to Minister Smith, outlining the urgent need for the Government of Ontario to vest pore space for underground carbon dioxide storage as a vital next step in delivering a comprehensive CCUS framework in the province. As explained in the letter: "Without vesting pore space, CCS will be economically unviable in Ontario, risking billions of dollars in investments and thousands of jobs. Furthermore, failure to do so may jeopardize the competitiveness and ability of hard-to-abate industries, including steel, cement, fertilizer and hydrogen producers, to leverage this clean technology in reaching their emissions targets." We appreciate the government’s initial steps to remove legislative barriers and develop a roadmap for CCS/CCUS in Ontario. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gjVRuruY

📣 Great news as another CCS project moves forward in Canada! Congratulations to Shell and ATCO EnPower for reaching FIDs on the Polaris CCS project and the first phase of the Atlas Carbon Storage Hub in Alberta. Both projects are expected to begin operations before the end of 2028. These projects will build on the success and lessons learned from the Quest CCS facility operated by Shell at the Scotford refinery, which has safely captured and stored more than nine million tonnes of CO2 since 2015.

Carbon Alpha is developing what will likely be Canada's first bioenergy with CCS (BECCS) projects - a unique partnership with the Meadow Lake Tribal Council in northern Saskatchewan that will add CCS to a power plant that uses waste wood from the community's sawmill to generate electricity. In our latest CCS Knowledge Spotlight, we spoke with Carbon Alpha's Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder Patrick Elliott about the North Star project, and how the Calgary-based company has evolved into a fully integrated project developer focused on CCS and carbon dioxide removal initiatives. Watch the video interview and read our Q&A with Patrick to learn more about Carbon Alpha’s vision and his thoughts on the future of the CCS industry in Canada and beyond: https://lnkd.in/gp2-y6xW

This morning's sunrise marked the beginning of a new season and the start of National Indigenous Peoples Day. Throughout June, we celebrate the rich heritage, resilience, and achievements of Indigenous communities across our nation. We honor the diversity, values, and traditions of our Indigenous staff, partners, and the Traditional lands on which we live and work. Join us today in reflecting on the importance of reconciliation and the role we each play in fostering a more inclusive and equitable Canada. #IndigenousHistoryMonth #NIPD2024 #NIHM2024 #IndigenousPeoplesDay #SummerSolstice #CulturalHeritage 

Today the Government of Canada passed Bill C-59, which includes investment tax credits for new carbon capture, utilization and storage projects.   We are pleased that the legislation for this critical incentive to encourage CCS investment has been approved, providing much-needed clarity for companies across heavy-emitting industries in Canada to advance their plans for developing CCS projects in a timely fashion.   The investment tax credit regime for CCUS (CCUS-ITC) is Canada’s centrepiece for encouraging CCS/CCUS projects, covering 50 per cent of the capital cost of CO2 capture projects between 2022 and 2030. The tax credits are higher (60 per cent) for projects that capture CO2 directly from the atmosphere (direct air capture) and they also cover 37.5 per cent of the cost for facilities required to transport, utilize and permanently store CO2.   The Knowledge Centre has published detailed reviews and provided input on the government’s draft legislation for the CCUS-ITC that was released and subsequently updated in the fall of 2023. Our analysis of the draft CCUS-ITC legislation found that there would be strong provisions to support jobs for skilled tradespeople, apprentices and construction workers, as well as requirements for public knowledge sharing by companies that receive the tax credits. Our analysis and input on the CCUS-ITC and other Canadian CCS policy to date is available on our website: https://lnkd.in/gjVRuruY   We look forward to the government releasing further details and technical guidance on the implementation of the CCUS-ITC legislation in the coming weeks, and we expect to provide comprehensive analysis and guidance on the policy for industry and stakeholders later this summer.   Expansion of large-scale CCS is a priority under Canada’s Carbon Management Strategy, and rapid development of CCS projects will be essential for achieving the country’s current emissions reduction plan that expects national CCS capacity to more than triple, adding facilities to capture and store at least 15 million tonnes of CO2 per year by 2030.   When taken as a whole, the suite of CCS-related policies that exist or are in development at the federal and provincial levels provide significant incentive for projects to be built in Canada. While implementation of the CCUS-ITC is an important step forward, it is imperative the government finalize other CCS-related policy measures that will provide greater certainty on the economics of CCS projects, including measures that protect investors from carbon pricing uncertainties.

Thanks very much to Natural Gas World for putting the spotlight on Canada's leading experience and future plans for developing carbon capture and storage as part of their Gas in Transition series on the global CCS landscape. A feature interview with our VP of Public Affairs and International Engagement Beth (Hardy) Valiaho outlines how Canada is primed to lead the next wave of CCS projects, potentially reaping significant benefits from the forthcoming surge in this technology as a key tool for heavy industry to meet net-zero climate goals: “We have favourable geological conditions for safe underground CO2 storage, a skilled workforce, robust cleantech innovation programmes, world-class regulatory procedures and government incentives to encourage investments,” Beth says. “Leveraging these assets is pivotal to unlocking the opportunities that accompany the significant expansion of CCS within Canada and on a global scale.” The full article is available online (with subscription):

Our team has been busy this week across Canada and abroad, discussing the critical role carbon capture and storage (CCS/CCUS) plays in addressing climate change, Canada's leadership in CCS development, and how collaboration and knowledge sharing are important for building new projects around the world. Our President & CEO James Fann attended the Global Energy Show Canada in Calgary, joining colleagues at the U.S. Consulate to discuss how greater collaboration can be fostered between Canada and the United States to advance CCUS projects. Meanwhile, our VP of Public Affairs and International Relations Beth (Hardy) Valiaho was on the road, participating in the World Steel Association (worldsteel)'s Climate Action Open Forum 2024 in Brussels, Belgium, followed by a presentation on Canada's CCS experience at the INNO-CCUS Danish CCUS Summit in Copenhagen. Our Manager of Policy and Strategic Initiatives Mac Walton visited Toronto to attend a panel discussion at the Albany Club about the need for CCS to help Ontario's heavy industries decarbonize, and the urgent need for a clear regulatory framework in the province to enable CCS development to proceed. The panel included speakers from Enbridge, STELCO - The Steel Company of Canada, and Geofirma Engineering Ltd. And our VP of Business Development and Strategic Initiatives Breanne O'Reilly represented the Knowledge Centre at public open houses for the Wabamun Carbon Hub held in Morinville and Sturgeon County, Alberta, to share information and answer questions about CCS and how large volumes of CO2 can be safely and permanently stored deep underground. The Wabamun Carbon Hub is being developed by Enbridge to serve CCS projects in the Edmonton region, including the world's first full-scale CCS facility on a cement plant at Heidelberg Materials' Edmonton plant. Thank you to our partners, stakeholders and supporters for such an interesting and productive week in the world of CCS!

The World Steel Association (worldsteel)'s Open Forum 2024 is now underway in Brussels, beginning with a discussion about the steel industry's transition to a net-zero future. Our Vice-President of Public Affairs and International Engagement Beth (Hardy) Valiaho took part in the opening panel titled "Catalysts of change - accelerating and enabling the steel industry transition." Steel production accounts for approximately eight per cent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, and carbon capture and storage will be a key technology for cutting GHGs from this critical commodity. “The transition to net zero is the greatest challenge of modern times, facing not just one nation but the global community. And not net zero at any cost - the Herculean task facing nations is to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 while creating jobs and delivering a just transition for our industrial communities," said Beth. "Carbon capture and storage (CCS/CCUS) technology is a critical tool for achieving this ambition, and applying the lessons learned from the first generation of CCS projects is instrumental in mitigating risk, reducing costs, and enhancing the performance of the multitude of new projects being planned worldwide.” Learn more about the World Steel Association's commitment to addressing climate change: https://lnkd.in/gvURuUBJ Thanks to Andrew Purvis and the other panelists for an engaging and important conversation!