The Quest CCS project is designed to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from Shell’s Athabasca Oil Sands Project (AOSP) in Alberta, Canada, by more than one million tons annually.
Developed through partnership with the public and private sectors to advance CCS globally, the project involves capturing of CO2 per year emitted from Shell’s Scotford Upgrader near Edmonton, Alberta, which processes heavy oil from the Athabasca oil sands.
The captured CO2 is then transported through a 65km pipeline and permanently stored more than 2km underground beneath several layers of impermeable rock
Shell operates the oil sands project with 60% stake while other partners include Chevron and Marathon Oil each holding 20% interest.
Royal Dutch Shell CEO Ben van Beurden said: "Quest represents a significant milestone in the successful design, construction and use of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology on a commercial scale.
"Together with government and joint-venture partners, we are sharing the know-how to help make CCS technologies more accessible and cost-effective for the energy industry and other key industrial sectors of the economy."
According to Shell, the Quest project serves as a blueprint for future CCS projects across the globe.
The project was backed by C$745m ($560m) and C$120m ($90m) funding from the governments of Alberta and Canada respectively.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates the CCS to provide as much as one-sixth of the world’s CO2 emissions reductions by 2050.
Image: Shell’s Quest Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) project for Athabasca Oil Sands Project in Alberta, Canada. Photo: courtesy of Business Wire/Fluor Corporation.
