Shell Canada Ltd. has proposed a plan to build a large-scale carbon capture and storage project at its Scotford Complex near Edmonton.
Carbon capture and storage projects use technology to capture carbon dioxide and store it underground instead of allowing it to be released into the atmosphere.
Shell says it would build on the experience gained from the Quest CCS facility that it operates on behalf of the Athabasca Oil Sands Project joint venture at the Scotford Complex.
It says the first phase of the Polaris CCS project would capture and store 750,000 tonnes a year of carbon dioxide from the Scotford refinery and chemicals plant.
The project would have storage capacity of about 300 million tonnes of carbon dioxide over its life.
Shell says the project would start operations around the middle of the decade, subject to a final investment decision expected in 2023.