Shell announced a proposal to build a large-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) project at the Scottford complex near Edmonton. This will be a key step in transforming Scotford into one of Shell's five global energy and chemical parks, providing customers with future-oriented low-carbon fuels and products, such as hydrogen.

The proposed Polaris CCS project is the largest in a series of low-carbon opportunities that Shell has explored in Scottford. It will capture carbon dioxide from the Scottford refinery and chemical plant owned by Shell. The initial phase is expected to start operations around the middle of the decade, depending on the final investment decision Shell is expected to make in 2023. Polaris will have a storage capacity of approximately 300 million tons of carbon dioxide during the life of the project.

Susannah Pierce, President and Chair of Shell Canada, said: “Shell is taking bold steps to decarbonize our operations and the wider industry, and the Polaris CCS project is the latest example.” “Our plan at Scotford fits Shell’s goal is to keep pace with society and become a net zero-emission energy company by 2050. We are creating a world-class site to provide customers with low-carbon fuels, products and carbon dioxide storage. Polaris will also contribute to Shell’s goals Make a major contribution, that is, gain an additional 25 million tons of CCS production capacity per year by 2035."

Low-carbon emission reduction has become a development trend

The Polaris CCS project follows the success of the Quest CCS facility in Scotford, which has captured and safely stored more than 6 million tons of carbon dioxide during its six years of operation. Recently, Shell also made a final investment decision on the Northern Lights CCS project in Norway, which is part of the Porthos CCS project in the Netherlands. "Our government is committed to developing carbon capture, utilization and storage to help reduce emissions and take advantage of emerging economic opportunities," said Alberta Energy Minister Sonya Savage. "Projects such as Shell’s Polaris CCS demonstrate Alberta’s commitment to business Open, our oil and gas industry confidently looks forward to becoming a global player in a low-carbon future."

The initial phase of the Polaris CCS project will capture and store approximately 750,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually from the Scotford refinery and chemical plant. This will reduce the direct and indirect emissions of Shell refineries by as much as 40% and chemical plants by as much as 30%. It will also create up to 2,000 jobs. The second phase of the Polaris CCS project involves the establishment of a carbon dioxide storage center in Alberta to further decarbonize Shell’s facilities and store emissions on behalf of third-party industry sources as a trusted and reliable carbon dioxide storage operator. After Polaris is completed, it can be used as a carbon dioxide storage center according to the pore space lease in Alberta, storing more than 10 million tons of carbon dioxide each year.

Once fully completed, Polaris will contribute to the Edmonton region becoming Canada’s first hydrogen center. In the initial phase of Polaris, the carbon dioxide captured from the hydrogen plant of the refinery will produce blue hydrogen used in the refining process, and it is possible to produce blue hydrogen on a large scale in the future stage. Shell is also exploring the use of Alberta's abundant natural gas and renewable energy availability to develop more blue and green hydrogen in Scotford. Scotford was transformed into Shell’s energy and chemical park, building on the base’s leading position in energy efficiency and CCS, including renewable energy and biological materials. CCS and renewable energy will enable Scotford to process new raw materials, such as bio-oil or waste oil, to significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions in today’s fuel production processes. Scotford expects to transition to a fully integrated energy and chemical park within 10 years.

Rod Frank, Mayor of Strathcona County: "Strathcona County is proud to be the home of Shell Scottford, which is Shell’s five global energy and chemical parks One. The announced Polaris CCS project is located in the industrial heartland of Alberta and is in line with Strathcona's strategic plan to achieve economic development and environmental sustainability at the same time. Polaris CCS will create new jobs and support our local economy , Enhance business certainty and investment attractiveness, and help recover from COVID-19. It will also reduce carbon emissions and bring our region closer to becoming the hydrogen center of North America, the fuel of the future."

Keywords: fossil fuels and natural gas, international engineering

Beth (Hardy) Valiaho, Vice President of Strategy and Stakeholder Relations, International CCS Knowledge Center: "We appreciate Shell Canada’s announcement. It builds on their CCS expertise in the Quest project and Boundary Dam 3CCS facility capture technology. Above. Through the PolarisCCS project and its potential to become a world-class carbon dioxide storage center, we once again see Shell Canada’s leadership in large-scale CCS as a means to reduce carbon emissions and ensure responsible and sustainable energy."Editor/Baohongying