Large-scale CO2 storage study launched

Alberta’s energy industry is partnering with top researchers from the University of Calgary on the largest-scale geological study in Canadian history for the permanent underground storage of millions of tonnes of industrial greenhouse gases.

“Carbon capture and storage is currently among the best options we have for achieving large cuts in emissions within reasonable costs and time frames,” says David Keith, the study’s principle investigator and one of the world’s leading experts on carbon capture and storage.

The Wabamun Area CO2 Sequestration Project will assess the geological and technical requirements, economic feasibility and technical and regulatory issues related to the potential to safely store up to 1,000 megatonnes of CO2.

The 16-month assessment is being coordinated by the U of C’s Institute for Sustainable Energy, Environment and Economy. The $850,000 study is scheduled to be complete by mid-2009.
Government funding is provided through the Alberta Energy Research Institute (AERI) and by the federal government’s Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC). Funding is also being supplied by energy-sector partners TransAlta, TransCanada Corporation, ARC Energy Trust and Penn West Energy Trust.

The Wabamun Area CO2 Sequestration Project is the first study undertaken by the newly created carbon capture and storage research initiative at the U of C, enabled with $5 million in new federal government funding announced in March.