Quest for a Carbon Capture and Storage Solution 

Quest Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS)

 Shell’s Quest project would capture more than
one million tonnes per year of CO₂ emissions from its
ScotFord Upgrader near Fort Saskatchewan.

Shell Canada Energy, on behalf of the Athabasca Oil Sands Project, a joint venture among Shell Canada (60 per cent), Chevron Canada Limited (20 per cent) and Marathon Oil Sands L.P. (20 per cent), is advancing Quest.

The proposed Quest project received a huge boost on October 8th, 2009 when the Government of Alberta and Government of Canada jointly announced funding agreements for the Quest Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS) project bringing Shell one step closer to developing CCS project in Alberta.

The Government of Alberta agreed to contribute $745 million from its $2 billion CCS fund while the Government of Canada will provide $120 million from its $650 million CCS fund.

“Both the Government of Alberta and Government of Canada should be commended for their leadership and vision on advancing CCS deployment in Canada,” said John Abbott, Shell’s Executive Vice President, Heavy Oil. “Finding ways to manage greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is one of the most important challenges facing society and developing substantial CCS capability with governments and key stakeholders is one of our greatest priorities.”

Shell views CCS as one of the key pathways to reducing CO2 emissions along with others such as energy efficiency and developing alternative energies. The appeal of CCS stems from the technical feasibility of implementing large-scale projects, thereby starting to address the emissions of the existing base of large CO2 emitters while developing the framework and infrastructure to support broader deployment of CCS technology and maturing parallel pathways.

“Quest has a long way to go before becoming a fully operational CCS project. We are still in the project development phase and a final investment decision depends on a range of factors including the outcome of a structured consultation program, the results of appraisal activities, integrated studies and of course regulatory approval,” Abbott says.