Shell Canada Products going ahead with carbon capture project in Alberta

Shell also says it will proceed with the Atlas Carbon Storage Hub in partnership with ATCO EnPower.

Shell Canada is going ahead with its Polaris carbon capture project in Alberta.

The company — the Canadian subsidiary of British multinational Shell PLC — announced Wednesday it has made a positive final investment decision on the project, which is designed to capture about 650,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually from the Shell-owned Scotford refinery and chemicals complex near Edmonton.

That works out to approximately 40 per cent of Scotford’s direct CO2 emissions from the refinery and 22 per cent of its emissions from the chemicals complex.

Shell did not disclose the dollar value of the Polaris project, but said it is expected to begin operations toward the end of 2028.

“It’s a very good day, it’s an exciting day for us,” said Shell Canada president Susannah Pierce in an interview.

“Certainly for me as country chair of Canada, it’s great to see this capital investment from Shell in Canada. Because as you know, I compete for capital in my portfolio, and I’m pleased that Shell has decided to put it here.”

Shell also announced Wednesday it will proceed with the related Atlas Carbon Storage Hub in partnership with ATCO EnPower. The first phase of Atlas, which will be connected to the Polaris project by a 22-km pipeline, will provide permanent underground storage for CO2 captured by the Polaris project.

Polaris is Shell’s second carbon capture and storage project in Canada. Its first, named Quest, was completed in late 2015 and is also located at the Scotford complex.