SUMMARY

There are now 25 CCS hub proposals under consideration in the province.

By Dale Lunan

Alberta’s second request for full project proposals (RFPP) targeting the development of carbon capture and storage (CCS) hubs around the province has yielded 19 proposals, the government said October 4.

The first round of RFPPs, targeting hub developments in Alberta’s Industrial Heartland near Edmonton, drew six proposals, all of which are now engaged with government officials in the next steps of the hub development process.

“The projects were selected through a competitive process taking into account a variety of important factors, including location, indigenous benefits, open access to regional emitters, an understanding of potential interplay with other resource development activities and the readiness to move forward quickly,” Alberta energy minister Sonya Savage said of the latest proposals. “These companies will now be invited to work with Alberta Energy to further evaluate each proposal’s suitability for safely storing carbon.”

Like the project proponents in the first round, the second tranche of developers will be invited to sign a generic CCS evaluation agreement to evaluate the suitability of their pore space. Once that evaluation is complete, proponents will have the option of applying for a sequestration agreement which will give them the right to inject CO2 into their allotted pore space and ensure they will provide open access to all emitters and affordable use of the hub.

Specific project details, including exact locations, will be determined as proposals are further evaluated and the tenure and regulatory processes are completed.

“Developing carbon storage hubs will help diversify the energy sector, including developing clean hydrogen and supporting the shift towards a net-zero electricity grid,” Savage said. “It will also support emissions reductions in manufacturing sectors like concrete and fertiliser that require high heat and cannot economically switch to electricity.”

Additional details on Alberta’s CCS hub proposal process, as well as a full list of the 19 applicants in the latest round, can be found here.