International CCS Knowledge Centre to provide independent expertise to Alberta carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) projects

The International CCS Knowledge Centre (the Knowledge Centre) is pleased to partner with Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA) to provide successful applicants of the ERA’s Carbon Capture Kickstart with up to 200 hours of support on their pre-construction design and engineering studies for carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) projects, with funding provided by ERA. The Knowledge Centre will provide consultation service and technical advice to project developers in order to reduce risk and maximize the value of these multi-billion-dollar CCUS projects for Albertans.

“We are thrilled to be able to put our expertise on large-scale carbon capture and storage projects around the world to work supporting these Alberta projects that will be critical to reducing emissions and helping Canada achieve our ambitious climate goals,” said James Millar, president and chief executive officer of the International CCS Knowledge Centre.

“This unique approach to project development will deliver CCUS projects with higher performance and lower cost. It will also ensure the valuable knowledge gained through planning, construction and operation will be documented and shared as broadly as possible, allowing Canada to continue to be a world leader in the next generation of CCUS technology.”

The Government of Alberta announced $40 million in funding for pre-construction studies on 11 large-scale CCUS projects in Alberta through ERA’s Carbon Capture Kickstart program on July 13, 2022. The 11 successful projects represent an estimated $20 billion in capital expenditures in a wide range of industrial sectors, including power generation, cement, fertilizer, forest products and oil and gas. The projects are anticipated to begin operation by 2030, and will eliminate 24 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year – 10 per cent of Alberta’s total industrial emissions and the equivalent of taking five million cars off the road annually.

The Carbon Capture Kickstart program aims to accelerate implementation of CCUS projects in Alberta by reducing the technical and financial uncertainty around industrial-scale projects to enable near-term final investment decisions. The Knowledge Centre will play a key role in implementing ERA’s requirements for all Kickstart projects to incorporate learnings from previous CCUS projects/studies and generate transferrable learnings that will benefit future projects in Alberta and around the world.

“Knowledge sharing is a key success factor for CCUS worldwide,” says ERA’s Chief Executive Officer Justin Riemer. “The learnings from conducting 11 studies in parallel will be invaluable to accelerating the pace and reducing the cost of commercial-scale CCUS projects. We look forward to working with the Knowledge Centre to maximize these benefits.”