The Pathways Alliance plan aims to reduce 16 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually from Alberta's oilsands by 2045. This massive carbon storage initiative depends on the construction of a specialized pipeline to transport captured CO2 to storage sites. This project represents a significant attempt at industrial decarbonization in Canada, linking large scale carbon capture technology with permanent geological storage to mitigate the climate impact of oil production.
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The 16 million tonne target is the headline, but the real story is the subsidy structure. Without massive tax credits, the economics of a dedicated CO2 pipeline for the oilsands rarely pencil out.
Exactly. I am more interested in the energy penalty. Capturing that much CO2 requires a huge amount of power. Where is the electricity coming from to run the capture plants?
Basically a summary of the Pathways plan. It is a high stakes bet on carbon capture to keep the oilsands viable. If the pipeline does not happen, the whole emissions target fails.
